Sins of the Father
by Keala Leilani
Summary: AU: They say lightning never strikes twice in the same place. Twenty-two years after the tragedy at Jurassic Park a new park, Jurassic World, is finally open. Jo and Owen can feel the storm brewing on the horizon, and they may be the only one's who can save the park from the danger that lurks unseen. They've found each other, but can they survive what's coming? (Owen x OC) *Sequel*
1. Epigraph

Epigraph

"Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sins."

\- Deuteronomy 24:16 -


	2. Prologue

**I'm back!**

 **This is it, the sequel to Before Jurassic (insert dramatic music here). If you haven't read Before Jurassic World or the follow-up in Owen's POV I would recommend reading those first.**

 **This sequel will take us through the events of the movie, but in our own little (slightly crazy) alternative universe that includes none other than Josephine King :) I hope you have half as much fun reading it as I've had writing it.**

 **Let me know what you think!**

* * *

Prologue

 **~ Jo ~  
**

What had started out as another beautiful Montana summer day was quickly deteriorating into what promised to be a fantastic summer storm. The air was thick with unnatural humidity for this part of the country as the ominous, black clouds in the distance were temporarily held at bay by the snow tipped covered mountain range. The sun, once prominently displayed overhead, was now obscured behind sheets of clouds that blanketed the enormous sky. They didn't call this part of the country "Big Sky Country" for nothing.

Closing my eyes I inhaled deeply, welcoming the scent of rain already saturating the air. The fresh, earthy smell reminded me of grass clippings mixed with a faint floral aroma I couldn't put my finger on. The depressing turn in the weather was appreciated, at least by me. Bright, sunny, endless summer days should be reserved for happiness, and memories you tried to hang onto with both hands.

Like your kids riding their bikes to the neighborhood pool, eating watermelon outside on the curb as the sugary juice coated your hands and face, or backyard BBQ's with friends.

Not this.

Not days like today.

Days like today deserved the rain. The weather matched the despair running through my body that I'd been unable to shake since the events of that day. It was funny how the weather made sense to me when I couldn't say that about anything else in my life at the moment.

The sky suddenly opened up, small droplets of water falling in waves before steading out into a constant pattern, producing a light mist that appeared more fog than rain. Sighing, I let my head fall, my eyes drawn immediately to the all too familiar rectangular shaped hole in the ground. Swallowing thickly I glanced to my right, unable to keep the tears at bay as I took in the pile of dirt that would spell the final chapter in a life cut tragically short. I knew the cemetery personnel were lurking nearby; anxious to complete the task at hand and be gone from this retched place, but I couldn't get my feet to move. I was as rooted to this spot as the coffin lying at the bottom of the hole.

Grief, regret, and guilt threatened to choke me as I gasped for air, unable to get enough and at the same time taking in too much. The pain was tangible, like an imaginary friend from the deepest pit of Hell I couldn't shake. A constant reminder of my failures.

I didn't need any more proof of my shortcomings, but here it was, right before my eyes. It was my responsibility to ensure this very scenario never saw the light of day. In the event I was unable to prevent the danger it was my job to contain the threat as quickly as possible to limit the loss of life. I wore the failures like shackles. A testament to the untold story locked inside of me, stoking the fire of my hollowness.

I'd lost count of the funerals I'd attended, the burials I'd witnessed, and the distraught faces of loved ones as they were forced to face their new reality.

I was broken.

I was ashamed.

I'd been called "one of the lucky ones", a "hero" in some stories. I felt like neither. I felt like a cheat. If I couldn't save them shouldn't I at least be among them? The irony wasn't lost on me that the person tasked with keeping them safe was the one overseeing their burials. The others insisted I forgo attending the funerals. They said I'd done enough, that everyone would understand if I wasn't there, but I couldn't. I didn't deserve an easy out. I deserved nothing less than the all-consuming agony each and every goodbye cost me.

This, I thought as I looked around the desolate cemetery, was my penance. My torture, my burden to bear. I needed to live in the firm knowledge that I'd created orphans, widows, and shattered families. My failure had ensured those touched by this tragedy would never see a reprieve from the heartbreak.

Every soul that coated my ledger in red steeped me deeper into a place I once thought I'd left behind. A place I wasn't sure I could come back from.

I was lost.

Adrift at sea, hoping the ocean would devour me into the blackness below.

Every memorial service had been horrendous, but today, today the loss hit so close to home it rocked my foundation to the core.

I'd had few friends in my life. Fewer people still I could count on no matter the situation, but the man I said goodbye to today had been one. Long before I'd found myself inexplicable surrounded by the people who I'd come to think of as family he'd been there. I'd once promised his wife I'd make sure he found his way home to them. I made good on that promise years ago.

Today I fulfilled that promise once again.

The only problem was I'd brought him home in a box.


	3. Chapter 1

**Here is the first official chapter. I can't pinky promise weekly chapters until my life slows down a bit, but I wanted to get this chapter out and see the response..see if y'all want to read this as much as I want to write it.**

 **Lemme hear from ya!**

* * *

Chapter 1

 **~ Owen ~  
**

My phone rang just as I pulled to a stop in front of our bungalow. Glancing at the contact info displayed on my phone I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, barely.

"Are you there yet? Can she make it?" Hamada fired off the questions in rapid succession, not even bothering to take a breath.

"I literally just got here," I replied, "I don't move at warp speed man."

"I needed a yes or no five minutes ago. I've got a room full of men waiting for evaluation, and no instructor."

Cutting the engine I stepped out of my Jeep. "Technically that's not true. You're there so that's one instructor."

Silence.

This guy was like one of my nephews wind up toys, just give him a few cranks, let him go, and then watch him stomp around. I liked to think of it as a social experiment, you know, for science. Well that, and it was funny as hell. It was practically part of my job description since we'd become "friends". Friends meaning he sat silently most of the time we were together, offering only non-committal grunts unless he was addressing Jo directly. As far as I knew Hamada was only truly friends with one person on the island, Jo. Everyone else in our bizarre circle that had formed a somewhat dysfunctional family he simply tolerated or ignored. The guy wasn't gonna be winning any congeniality contests in the near future.

"Owen," he warned.

"Relax, I'm here," I stated calmly, walking around to the passenger side of the Jeep. I eyed the contents warily before shaking my head. "I gotta go. I need to haul the ass pain to end all ass pains into the house. I'll let you know."

"What the…" I cut him off, ending the call as I unbuckled Ted's seatbelt. Pulling the oversized, stuffed bear out of the seat I locked my arm around his neck and started walking towards the door. Fourteen months ago if you'd told me I'd have a live-in girlfriend I was madly in love with, and a life sized teddy bear as a ward I'd have checked your blood for the presence of pharmaceuticals.

It wasn't until I was a few feet away from the door that the deafening music from inside registered. Leaning forward towards the door I strained to make out the words. Was that 'Holding Out for a Hero' by Bonnie Tyler playing so loud the walls were literally shaking? I could see the unmistakable quiver of metal as someone (Jo) bounded around inside like a hyperactive, 300 pound squirrel. And here I thought the most ridiculous thing I'd encounter today was a custody swap with Barry when he handed over Ted this morning at work. I'm not sure what it said about my life that things like this just didn't shock me anymore.

I was just about to open the door when I paused, hand hovering over the knob. Now that I thought about it this was an opportunity I simply couldn't waste. Depositing Ted on the porch I fished out my phone, tapping the camera icon and getting the video ready to record. The music continued to thump, and I was fairly certain I heard Jo "singing" along. I used the term singing loosely because that woman operated her vocal cords at a level that drove dogs mad. I'd asked her once if she realized most people would choose listening to nails down a chalk board over her singing. She'd simply shrugged it off, telling me just because she couldn't sing didn't mean she wouldn't. I grimaced and invested in a large supply of ear plugs. She certainly had a set of pipes on her whether I liked it or not.

Cracking the door open slowly I held my phone up and pressed the record button just as Bonnie belted out "I need a hero", the piano and choir joining her in the background at a feverish pitch. I pointed the camera at Jo, who was in the center of the room, her back to me as she swayed her hips in time with beat. She danced with wild abandon around the living room, throwing her head back, her arms raised up as she screamed the words in sync with the music. When she pirouetted off the couch with the precision of a rhythmic gymnast I almost collapsed I was laughing so hard.

And to think, people at the park were questioning whether 14 months was enough time to recover given the magnitude of her injuries following the horrific car accident she'd barely survived. If Dr. Kondrat had seen her execute the magnificent knee slide across the lament floor just now I'd say he'd have no problems re-releasing her back into the wild. Maybe I'd show him the next time I saw him. Dancing was like robbing a bank, it required split second timing, and it was obvious by the Michael Jackson leg kick she was doing at the moment that her timing was impeccable.

Suddenly, she twirled around, pumping her fist triumphantly as she screamed, "It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet!"

Her eyes widened in shock as she finally noticed me standing in the open doorway. Turning around quickly she ran towards her iPod docking station, turning off the music. Way too late for that babe.

"I like that you're channeling your inner Kevin Bacon, but for it to really be authentic shouldn't you be jumping off a tractor or something?" I laughed.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked warily, eyeing my phone with trepidation.

I shrugged, not even bothering to contain my smile. "Does it matter?"

"Not even a little if that thing was recording," she said bitterly, pointing at my phone.

"Oh you bet your delectable ass this thing was recording." I would have sold my soul to Hoskins for a chance to get this all on video. I was already mapping out a viewing schedule in my head for the next few months.

Her eyes narrowed in calculation as she slowly made her way towards me. I eyed her cautiously, just like I did the girls when they were having one of their "moments". Women with that look in their eye were not to be underestimated. There was really no telling how this would play out, but I didn't like the sparkle in her eyes one bit. She should look mortified, angry even, not giddy.

Oh fuck.

"You won't show that video to anyone," she stated bluntly, coming to a stop right in front of me. She tipped her head back slightly, looking me dead in the eyes.

Raising my eyebrows as I looked down at her I asked, "And what, may I ask, makes you say that?"

She shrugged, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. "Because, if that video did ever happen to see the light of day I'd be forced to retaliate in kind."

Jo was a master of taking the lemons life gave her and putting them to good use. Problem was she often squeezed them in people's eyes.

"Do your worst babe," I taunted, dangling my phone in front of her face. "There is no way you have anything that can hold a candle to this little gem."

She put her hands on her hips not looking nearly as uncomfortable with my threat as she should. I racked my brain for any humiliating evidence I knew to be in her possession, but other than Ted (who everyone already knew about) I was coming up blank.

"I'm not so sure about that sugar cakes," she joked, a smug smile gracing her gorgeous face. I was fucked, I just didn't know how yet. "Remember the night we watched Armageddon?"

I felt my balls constrict in actual fear.

"Yeah, so what?" I answered carefully. She tilted her head to the side, studying me.

"The fact that you weren't afraid to let your emotions show when Bruce Willis takes Ben Affleck's place as the one to detonate the nuke," she swooned with mock compassion, hands crossed over her heart. "It was just so…moving."

I took an involuntary step backwards. The "incident" she was referring to was the equivalent of saying Voldemort at Hogwarts, you just didn't do it.

"To have such a vulnerable moment posted to the company intranet," she paused dramatically, the look on her face full of ill intent, "Something so personal for all to see. I mean, who knew you even had tear ducts?"

Narrowing my eyes at her, I stalked forward into her personnel space. I towered over her, using my height to my advantage. She sucked in a sharp breath as my body brushed against hers.

"You're bluffing," I stated with more confidence than I felt. "What are you going to do, blog about it? I have actual video proof."

"And I don't?"

No, she didn't.

Did she?

I quickly thought back to that night, and distinctly remember her phone pointed in my general direction at the time, but she'd been texting. At least that's what she'd said. I was exceptionally good at reading people. The only person who out-classed me on that front was the woman standing in front of me. The problem with Jo was you could only get a read on her if she wanted you to. Other times, like right now, she was as closed off as a politician scrambling during a sex scandal. I'd have an easier time deciphering Sanskrit than figuring out what was really happening in her head at the moment.

"Bullshit," I countered weakly.

"Believe what you want sport, but I'd think twice before showing anyone that," she said, pointing at my phone. "I may have been busting a move to Footloose, but you balled at the end of Armageddon. Which one do you think people will be talking about the next day?"

Balled was a bit of an exaggeration. I had something in my eyes.

"It was allergies," I protested. It sounded lame to my own ears.

"Uh huh," she chuckled. "I'm sure that will hold up in a court of law."

Throwing my hands up in surrender I said, "That is a very moving scene. I mean, he sacrifices himself for them and then has to tell his daughter he's not coming back. He had to break his promise!"

"I completely understand." The way she had to press her lips together to keep from laughing told me she absolutely did NOT understand.

"You're evil," I told her, pocketing my cell phone.

"I am, but you love me anyway," she purred, stepping into my arms and pressing her lips to mine.

"I do," I confessed, pulling her closer. Her body melded to mine as she sighed in content.

Not for the first time I was struck by how much my life had changed. It had been over a year since I'd presented Jo a key to my bungalow on her birthday, and not a day had passed that I'd regretted my decision. Barry and I had begun moving her in the next day as she'd lounged on the couch, in and out of consciousness as she began the agonizingly slow path towards recovery.

As a single man I'd never seriously considered living with a woman. The mere notion elicited a feeling of dread that told me it that was probably a path best left to "other men". Who wanted tampons taking over their bathroom, having to share their razors, or the added work of making sure the toilet seat was always down?

Apparently I did.

It helped that Jo had alleviated my aversion to tampons right off the bat. Our first few days living together after I'd seen the five boxes of tampons stuffed under the sink I'd somewhat calmly asked how many feminine hygiene products one woman actually needed?

I mean, was she bleeding out each month? Should I be worried for her well-being?

She'd attempted to explain the subtle nuisances associated with the monthly visit of Aunt Flo, but I'd stopped listening after she launched into a vivid description about the varying absorption levels of each box. Since talking hadn't resolved our differences she unilaterally decided shock therapy was the way to go. She stuffed about 100 tampons in every nook and cranny of our bedroom to the point it was like a tampon atom bomb had exploded. Just yesterday I'd found one stuffed in an older pair of boots I hadn't worn in months. I'd probably be finding them for the rest of my natural life. Needless to say, I was immune to them now.

Who knew I wouldn't mind when she borrowed my razor, stole my clothes to wear around the house, or always found a way to wiggle her feet into my lap when we watched TV? I didn't just not mind all those things…I absolutely lived for them. It does strange things to a man when you come home from a hard day at work to find your girlfriend lounging on the couch, beer in hand, wearing nothing but one of your shirts with her long, tan legs on display. It was a fucking miracle either of us made it out of the house most days.

Surprisingly Jo had adjusted to the dramatic changes in her life like an actual adult. I'd been prepared for weekly freak-outs and monthly attempts to sabotage our relationship out of fear, but she'd settled into what I know considered our bungalow like she'd lived here all her life. There had been no freak-outs, no hesitancy in the pace we'd set, no attempts to back out. Even the frequency of her nightmares had thinned out to the point most nights she slept soundly, tucked in the safety of my arms. She'd finally let me in, and I treasured being able to see the woman behind the mask. It appeared that being in a serious relationship looked good on us both.

We were happy, plain and simple. If it was happening to anyone else I'd probably puke at the Lifetime TV nature of our relationship. We were a walking Nicholas Sparks novel, minus the tragic ending.

My hand slipped under her shirt, my fingers grazing her stomach as the back of my hand brushed across the bottom of her breasts. She moaned, pulling me closer as we began backing up towards the closest solid object. That was, until my phone started ringing in my pocket.

"Somebody better be dead," Jo mumbled as we reluctantly pulled apart.

Fishing the phone out of my pocket I wasn't surprised to see Hamada's number, again. It wasn't so much that he was impatient as it was he expected everyone else to be on his schedule.

"Your timing is worse than my mothers," I barked into the phone as Jo side-stepped me, making her way towards the door.

"It's been over a year, learn to keep it in your pants for five minutes," he replied.

"Says the man with nine children."

"Four."

"I'm sorry, is there a difference?"

"Yeah, five kids."

"I hope they pay you a shit-ton because if your wife ever has her vision checked and leaves your ass the child support alone will put you in an early grave."

This back-and-forth between Hamada and I had become our new normal. It was like a big brother, little brother relationship, except with deadly weapons.

"There you go again, projecting your insecurities on me," Hamada quipped. "I'm not the one who's dating up by at least two full numbers."

"Are you calling me an eight?" I asked in outrage. That was just insulting.

"If the shoe fits."

Our verbal sparring was put on hold as Jo's voice boomed from outside, "Why is Ted on the porch?"

Oh shit.

"Busted," Hamada laughed.

"Remember who you're counting on right now asshole," I shot back at him. The only sound I heard in return was his breathing. Smart man.

Jo barreled into the house, struggling to fit Ted through the door. She tugged hard on his arms and almost fell flat on her ass as he suddenly dislodged from his wedged position. My hand shot out, grabbing her arm to steady her, Ted pitching forward and hitting her in the face. She pushed him away, blowing the hair out of her eyes with an annoyed puff.

"Look babe, Ted's home," I said blandly. It was a weak attempt to douse her rising fury.

"I can see that. I found him on the porch, alone." For fuck's sake you'd think the bear was an actual person the way she treated him.

"It was only for a second, and I could see him through the window the whole time," I tried.

In my opinion, she had an unnatural attachment to the inanimate object, but Dr. Pierce said it was probably nothing to worry about. Probably. Something to do with filling in the gaps in her childhood, and the need to prove to herself she could function in a stable environment. That sounded great and all, but I went along with it because she tended to inflict bodily harm on those who didn't treat Ted like a legitimate human being. I liked my man bits right where they were, thank you very much.

"You know he's not weatherproofed," she countered, her eyes drifting towards Ted to assess his physical well-being.

"Jo, we live on an island that gets rain once every 10 years. We could leave him outside until the rapture and he'd be fine." That and he was a stuffed animal so who really gives a shit (other than Jo)? She exhaled deeply through her nose, picking Ted up and dragging him to his "spot" in the corner of the living room.

"You guys need professional help," Hamada chimed in. I rolled my eyes, completely forgetting he was on the phone. "Any chance of this reaching a conclusion this century or do we need to make sure Ted understands the birds and the bees first?"

"Laugh it up fuck face; you know she has you on the schedule for next month?"

"What?" he exclaimed. "How did I get roped into this delusion?"

"We need a night to ourselves," I told him. I couldn't stop the shit-eating grin that broke out on my face.

"I hate you both." I could understand that. "Is she coming or what?"

"Hey babe, Hamada fucked up his schedule and the session you thought was later this afternoon is really in about a half hour. Can you make it?" I called out to her as she finished getting Ted situated.

"That's a blatant…" Hamada started, furious.

"Shhh," I cut him off, "Trying to work here."

Jo looked up puzzeled, "Why didn't he just call me himself?"

"He did, about 100 times." I gave her "the look". The one that said even Ted was better at keeping up with and answering his phone.

She looked around the room trying to locate the wayward device. After she'd picked up all the couch cushions and still struck out I told Hamada I'd call him right back. Hitting one on my speed dial I listened intently for her phone. The muffled ring resonated from what sounded like the kitchen. I immediately went to the fridge, opening the door and peering inside.

"That was one time," she alleged, moving past the fridge, heading towards the pantry. Opening the door she briefly stepped inside before emerging triumphantly with her phone. The ringtone was still blazing and it took me a minute to place the song, but once I did I pinned her with a look that promised outright warfare.

"What?" she said innocently, silencing the ringtone about 10 seconds too late.

"I don't want to miss a thing, are you serious?" It was one thing to taunt me in private over my perfectly natural reaction to Bruce Willis' sacrifice. Making the theme song from the movie my ringtone was crossing the line. I had a public image to uphold.

"I think it's sweet," she said, attempting to calm me.

I gave her a hard look before saying, "No you don't. You don't think anything's sweet. Change the ringtone or Ted starts sleeping outside."

She mumbled what sounded like "sadist" under her breath as she pouted, tapping away on her phone. I now had two ways to ensure she kept her word, pinky promises and Ted.

I called Hamada back and he answered before the first ring ended. Desperate much?

"And?" he asked, clearly agitated.

"Babe, Hamada needs an answer. Are you in?"

She looked around the house her face full of indifference before shrugging. "Sure, I'm game, but Hamada owes me one. I had big plans to binge watch the shit out of Netflix."

Hamada scoffed into the phone, "Owe her? She's been on convalescent leave for a year! It's about time she got off her ass and got back to work."

"Hamada says he'll do whatever you say," I told her and she nodded, happy with the arrangement.

"Gimme a sec to change and grab my stuff then we can head out," she called out over her shoulder, heading towards the bedroom.

"Sounds good," I smiled back at her. As she disappeared into the bedroom I turned my attention back to the phone. "You're welcome; we'll be there in a half hour."

"I really do hate you," he told me. "Do you have any idea what it's like owing her a favor?" It sounded like a rhetorical question so I decided to just let him continue to vent. "It's like selling your soul to Satan."

"I'm sure it's not that bad," I countered.

"Not that bad! Not that bad! The last favor she called in almost got me killed."

Yeah, well, I could admit that wasn't ideal.

"You'll be fine. Today is essentially her first real day back. She's going to be swamped with work for the next few months. She'll probably forget all about it," I said.

"You don't actually believe that, do you?" he asked skeptically.

"No."

"You're an asshole," he said in a clipped tone. "Hurry up, there's 50 guys here waiting on you two."

"Now Hamada, it's your responsibility to double check your training calendar."

He hung up the phone with a resounding, "fuck you". I chuckled as Jo emerged from the bedroom clad in what I liked to call her "ass kicking clothes". She looked like a walking endorsement for Under Armor dressed head to toe in black spandex material that clung to her body like a second skin. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail with strands escaping the elastic band falling in waves around her face. I felt all the blood in my body head south as I seriously considered returning Hamada's fuck you with one of my own by throwing her over my shoulder and not leaving the bedroom for a few hours (if not days).

"Ready?" Jo asked, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

She looked equal parts excited and nervous. I could tell by the stiffness of her shoulders and the slight shake of her hands. I hadn't been lying when I'd told Hamada this was her first real day back. She'd done some light office work and had brief stints at various paddocks in a purely observatory capacity the last few months, but it was only recently that Dr. Kondrat and Pierce had deemed her physically and mentally 100%.

"Let's do this," I winked at her and she smiled back, both of us walking out the door towards the Jeep. I tried to ignore the way my own hand shook as the nerves over her return to work took hold. Other than blind luck I had no way to rationalize Jo's miraculous survival last year. For all intense and purposes I should be mourning her, not about to drop her back into the lion's den.

We'd been lucky once. I was terrified our luck wouldn't hold.

Given our history, it was more likely the 'L' in our luck would be promptly be replaced with an 'F'.

* * *

 **angelicedg: It was intense, right? What do you think about this? Hope you still like it!  
**

 **CopperMax: Cries because you cried! I'm so glad you came back for round 3...I hope you keep reading and keep crying (but in a good way) :)**

 **JesseBWriting: Thanks for the welcome and thank you for reading! I was nervous no one would stick around for this, and I'm over the moon you did. I hope you continue to read and enjoy Jo and Owen's story.**

 **Korraismygirl: Awesome! I'm glad to be back and I'm every happier you came back to read. I hope you stick with me and enjoy the story :)**

 **x3sunnydaay: I thought a little different of a start would set the stage for what's to come. I hope it did, and I hope it drew you in enough to read some more. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!**


	4. Chapter 2

**Let's get this party started right, shall we?**

* * *

Chapter 2

 **~ Jo ~**

I don't remember my first day of school, but if I did I imagined it probably felt a lot like I did at the moment. Jittery and excited with a side dish of I might puke. The anxiety pumping through my body was increasing exponentially the closer we got to the park, crowds of visitors littering the streets slowing our progress even though we were sticking largely to back roads. It was still hard to believe this place was open to the public. I'd been recovering at home when the official opening ceremony had occurred, but knew for a fact via the text message pictures Owen sent that this was, in fact, a fully functioning theme park now. In fact, the last time I'd run into Claire she'd mentioned our attendance figures were steadily climbing every month with guest satisfaction soaring around 95%.

Un-freaking-believable.

As we drove down a side street towards the employee parking lot adjacent to visitor center I scanned the alleyways, getting a glimpse of Mainstreet. The throngs of guests shuffling from store to store and running towards the exhibits were surreal. Sighing, I let my head fall back against the headrest, I missed the days when the only things we had to worry about were the man-eating dinosaurs. Ah, the good 'ol days.

Owen pulled into a parking spot and we both exited the Jeep, heading towards the visitor center. I took a calming breath, trying to project a sense of composed authority I most certainly did not feel.

"You OK?" Owen asked, coming to walk by my side.

Was I OK?

If being OK meant there was an equal chance I'd either pass out from stress induced anxiety as walk into that building like the bonafide professional I was hired to be, then yeah, I was peachy. Fucking hell, that dive off a cliff had made me soft. I hadn't been nervous to go to work since…ever. The really depressing part was deep down I knew I wasn't feeling soft or even nervous, I was scared. And I'm not talking mildly concerned for my well-being scared either. No sir, I was teetering on the verge of peeing in my big girl panties scared. It wasn't a good look for me. It was the emotional equivalent of trying to accessorize with a fanny pack, never a good idea. Squaring my shoulders I made the decision that today was the day I put the accident behind me.

"I'm fine," I answered, flashing him what I hoped was a convincing smile.

His eyes narrowed slightly, but he accepted my answer with no further inquiry. Truth was he was as nervous as I was about my return to work. Owen had been my rock this past year. Calling him my boyfriend felt so inadequate and juvenile. This wasn't high school and the label didn't begin to address the depths of my feelings for him, but since this wasn't a Telenovela I decided to stick with. My only other options required me to call him my lover or something equally as ridiculous, and that simply wasn't acceptable.

The man walking beside me was responsible for ensuring not only my body recovered, but my soul as well. He'd weathered the never-ending doctor's appointments, physical therapy sessions, and my endless boredom without so much as one complaint (to my face at least). His belief that I'd recover was absolute, and his strength gave me strength.

The months following the accident had been filled with change. Not only was I forced to adjust to the limitations of my injuries I'd immediately moved in with Owen. I remember being terrified he'd wake up one day, come to his senses, and wonder why the fuck he'd ever asked me to live with him. I figuratively held my breath, waiting for him to come to the realization that I wasn't worth the time or the trouble, but that day never came. Days turned into weeks that then morphed into months, and if anything our relationship grew stronger. After a while I realized "that day" would never come, and I could finally relaxed. Don't get me wrong, it was far from easy, but my life with Owen was something I would hold onto with both hands.

It was a daily struggle wrestling with the idea that this man, this honorable, selfless, ridiculously charismatic man had chosen me. On paper (and in real life if I was honest) we made little sense. In truth, I made little sense with anyone, but with Owen we somehow made it work. I never believed I was capable of feeling something so deep for another person. My love for him was unfathomable, and it scared the ever loving shit out of me.

Depending on someone else wasn't really my strong suit, but the mere notion of living without him was laughable. I simply couldn't comprehend a future that didn't have his solid, unyielding presence in it. I would walk through fire to be with him, and I would tear apart heaven and earth to save him. Good luck to anyone who got in my way in the process.

He slipped his hand into mine as we walked towards the building, a silent show of support only he would know I needed. I squeezed his hand in return, letting him know I really was OK. We hadn't taken more than a few steps when my cell phone rang, the theme for the X-Files booming in the parking lot. Owen stopped, shaking his head as if to say I give up.

Smirking at him I answered, "King."

"Jo, I'm literally over the moon that you're back today, and normally I would do everything in my power to make sure your first day back was utterly boring. I was thinking coffee in the cafeteria followed by people watching in the lobby," Lowery prattled on, the fear in his voice making him ramble. By people watching of course he meant he and I passing judgment on every individual who had the misfortune to pass us by. It was our favorite pastime. If it was an Olympic sport we'd be the gold medal favorites hands down.

"But," I encouraged him to continue. I knew it was too much to ask that my first day would consist only of ass kicking recruits followed by mental kung fu.

"We've got a situation over at the Gentle Giant Petting zoo."

That wasn't surprising. I'd told Simon when he'd run the idea by me that it was a disaster waiting to happen, but I'd been overruled by upper management. The concept, which was developed by some suit back at the corporate office, was to give visitors an up close and personnel experience with a baby dinosaur.

Sounds amazing, right?

Yeah, well, most dinosaurs have strong familial bonds which are not to be trifled with. So naturally, a group of certified idiots who have no expertise in anything other than making money decided the best way to limit the trauma to both mother and baby was to have them both be part of the exhibit. They'd constructed an exhibit that allowed visitors access to pet, ride and even handle the infant dinosaurs while cordoning off the mother's in a separate unit. It was essentially a paddock within a paddock. The babies were rotated into the public part of the exhibit for short periods of time before being returned to their mother. Not ideal, but it kept the death toll at a minimum which the marketing department said was a bonus.

I'd strongly lobbied against the idea, citing the numerous scientific examples, and basic common sense, that showed putting anything between a mother and their child was asking for trouble. Any animal or human would become hostile if put into the situation they were proposing. To combat my opposition the solution proposed by upper management was to use herbivores instead of carnivores.

Oh, so since we didn't have a mommy and a baby T-Rex in the petting zoo it was clearly safe.

I'm not saying those guys were stupid; they just had bad luck when it came to thinking.

"What kind of situation?" I asked, coming to an immediate stop. Owen leaned in closer in an attempt to hear Lowery.

"A kid fell into the enclosure," he stated.

"Lowery, it's a petting zoo, that's kinda the point." Owen looked as confused as I felt. Why the five alarm fire because a kid was in the petting zoo?

Lowery cleared his throat, "He's not in the petting zoo. He's in the secondary enclosure."

"Oh my god," I muttered, locking eyes with Owen.

The fear I'd felt only seconds before was replaced with determination. I spun on my heel, sprinting towards the petting zoo, Owen hot on my heels. As soon as I rounded the corner to the exhibit I saw Hamada barking out orders as two ACU units deployed around the perimeter, and a third team began the arduous process of clearing out the patrons. A few feet off to his side, sitting on a bench were two adults, a woman crying hysterical as a man held her in his arms, his face distraught. No doubt they were the child's parents.

Coming to a stop beside Hamada I asked, "What's the situation?"

Hamada removed his hat, wiping the sweat from his forehead before replacing it, glancing over his shoulder briefly at the parents. "Kids name is Bryce. He's four years-old and here with his parents, Sandy and Bill. They were all visiting the petting zoo when the parents lost track of him. Another guest spotting him climbing up the wall on the outside of the secondary paddock. Apparently he used a small tree branch to get him to the upper level where he traversed the steel cabling."

I turned around, looking behind me at the easily twenty foot wall that housed the momma dinosaurs just as Owen mumbled a, "Sweet Jesus."

"He traversed the steel cabling?" I asked in disbelief. Was this kid part of Cirque de Soleil in his spare time? "Is he alive?"

"Yes and miraculously uninjured as far as we can tell. Apparently he wants to be an acrobat when he grows up," Hamada shrugged. "He's huddled behind a few boulders on the far side of the paddock. So far either the animals haven't picked up his scent or they don't see him as an immediate threat. Either way we need to get him out of there as fast as possible."

He was safe for the time being, but there was no telling when his luck would change. My bet was it wouldn't take long, and once it did there would be no way to predict how the animals would react to him being so close to their offspring. He may only be a child, but dinosaurs didn't discriminate when it came to their little ones.

"What's the plan?" I asked.

"We've got three bucket trucks on their way. Once they're here we're going to strategically position them around the enclosure, get some guys with non-lethals up there who can clear the way for the person who's going to be lowered down. We can't enter or exit from the doors undetected so this is our best option to get him out unharmed, from there it's a simple extraction for the man on the ground," Hamada explained, making a point to avoid Owen's scathing gaze.

"And the person being lowered down?" Owen phrased it like a question, but all three of us already knew the answer.

"Jo of course," Hamada said simply, shrugging. I smiled brightly, barely resisting the urge to clap my hands and jump around. Totally not appropriate given the circumstances, but this was WAY better than suffering through psych evaluations and teaching hand-to-hand combat to people who had a hard time walking and chewing gum at the same time.

"I'm gonna be like Trinity in the Matrix," I squealed.

Hamada's lipped twitched, which for him was the equivalent of peeing your pants from laughing so hard. Owen on the other hand looked like he might stroke out. The vein on his temple was throbbing uncontrollably, and if he had been looking at me the way he was looking at Hamada I would probably pee my pants for an entirely different reason.

"You know, when the helicopter crashes into the side of the building and she shoots that rope…" I started, waving my hands around excitedly.

"I get the reference," Owen cut me off, never taking his eyes off Hamada. I dropped my hands, frowning as both men stared each other down, not even blinking. I swung my head back-and-forth waiting for one of them to move, flinch, breathe. Anything really because the whole scene was starting to freak me out. Clearly I was smack dab in the middle of a dick measuring contest. I didn't want to even consider Hamada in that light (gross), but I knew for a fact Owen was packing some serious heat.

"Listen," Hamada started, finally breaking eye contact as the three huge bucket trucks rumbled into the exhibit. "There's no one else I'd trust with this, and she's the fastest person here even though she's been sitting on her ass popping bonbons for the past year."

"Hey!" I interjected. I'd been out recovering from injuries that had literally killed me, three times! And yeah, I ate a few bonbons to pass the time, sue me. Hamada ignored me, continuing to explain his rationale to the irate raptor trainer standing next to me.

"Besides that, she's a shit shot with those tranquilizer guns so if she doesn't do this she's basically just here for moral support."

That was true.

I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn using the non-lethal tranquilizers. Believe me, I'd tried. A lot. I'd given up trying to figure it out. I was obviously allergic to anything that couldn't seriously maim or outright kill something.

"You've got sniper experience, and you have the most incentive to not miss," Hamada finished, emphasizing the last comment with a pointed look.

Owen's lips compressed in a thin line, his misplaced fear of lowering me into a pit of angry momma dinosaurs at war with Hamada's sound logic. I didn't see the issue. Hamada was right. Even on a heavy bonbon day I was faster than these two, and I trusted both Owen and Hamada to have my back while I was down there doing my Usain Bolt impersonation.

"Fine," Owen conceded, looking away in frustration.

"Super guys, good talk! Everyone put their hands in the middle and let's get out there and win won for the gipper," I said sarcastically, thrusting my hand out and looking to them expectantly. Hamada just shook his head at me, walking away to position the trucks, get the gear situated, and prep the tranquilizers.

Owen stood still beside me, his concern for me radiating off of him in waves. After a few minutes of tense silence he asked, "Do you take anything seriously?"

Cutting my eyes to him I sighed. "I am taking this seriously. I think maybe you're taking it a little _too_ seriously." That comment was like waving a red flag in front of a pissed of bull. Oops. I winced, putting my hands up in apology. "Listen, this is what I do. It's my job. That little boy is trapped in there scared to death, and I'm his best chance of getting out alive. I'm not walking away from that. I've been cleared by the doctors. I'm ready."

He visibly deflated, running his hands through is hair in that adorable manner I'd become so accustomed to. "I'm not questioning your abilities. I just…"

It was that the last time I'd left the house to do my job he'd found me not breathing at the bottom of a cliff. I understood his fear. Hell, I had more than my share of doubt as well, but I wasn't some delicate china doll that could be hide away from the world. I had a dangerous job, we both did, and it was time I dusted myself off and got back on the horse.

I'd never admit this out loud, but I liked how he wanted to protect me. I absolutely did not need it, but it made my stomach do that cliché girl stomach flop that he wanted to. With that being said, it just wasn't in my nature to function that way, and he knew it.

I stepped closer to him, taking his hand in mine. "I get it. I feel it too, but this is different. We're in this one together. I trust you." I swallowed thickly, pulling him to me. "So trust me. Everything will be fine."

"I won't miss," he promised.

"I know."

He closed the distance between us and captured my lips in a brief, but passionate kiss. He held my face in his hands as his eyes moved all over my face, like he was trying to memorize every detail. I gave him a small smile, projecting confidence I didn't feel. You know what they say though, fake it till you make it.

The next thing I knew I was wearing a harness and being lifted over the paddock walls in a bucket truck. The adrenaline was surging through my veins, my heart beating so fast I thought it might explode. Just another day at the office, I kept repeating over and over again.

"Alright everyone this is it." Hamada's voice echoed in my ear comm. "Grady and I will take point to cover King while she retrieves the boy. I want secondary units on standby with the medical team, and for fuck's sake Cummins make sure you're ready on that wench. As soon as she has the boy and is back at the hookup I want them out of there. No delay," he barked.

"Yes sir, I'll be ready," Cummins answered immediately.

Cummins was a fairly recent addition to the ACU response team, and to me looked all of about 12 years-old. I wasn't familiar with the man since he was brought on board during my medical leave, but Hamada trusted him so I had no choice but to put my faith in Doogie Howser as well.

"You good?" I asked him, looking at him as the bucket was positioned over the wall. He was sweating profusely, and while I agreed it was hot I got the impression his excessive perspiration was due more to nerves than the heat.

"I'm fine ma'am," he answered, nodding to me briskly.

Ma'am? What was I, an 80 year-old spinster with 30 cats?

"You can call me Jo," I told him, grabbing the rope and hooking it up to the repelling harness secured around my waist.

His nervous eyes flicked to mine before he shook his head furiously, "I think I'll stick with ma'am if it's all the same to you. Mr. Hamada and Mr. Grady seemed to think it would be the safest option. Plus, if half the stories I've heard about you are true I'd just as soon stay in your good graces."

I heard Owen's laughter burst out over the comm unit, and swung my head towards his bucket truck, flipping him off in the distance. His laughter just increased as he chimed in, "Now ma'am, that's not very professional."

Shaking my head at him I finished securing the rope to the repelling device then climbed out of the bucket, carefully positioning my hands and feet on the railing. I tossed the long, dangling line of rope behind my back into the paddock making sure to keep my right hand tight at the base of my spine so I could control the speed of my decent into the paddock.

Glancing over my shoulders to the other side of the paddock I saw Owen and Hamada positioned in their buckets, non-lethal tranquilizer guns at the ready. They each had another ACU member with them responsible for the three backup tranqs should the need arise. Those things were notorious for jamming, and an issue like that in a situation like this could get real ugly, real fast.

"We ready to get this party started?" I asked the group.

Hamada answered, "You're positioned as close to the boy as we can get given where the animals are currently positioned. Once you're on the ground you won't have long until they pick up your scent."

The animals inside the paddock had stumbled across the boy about five minutes ago. Thankfully they'd left him alone for now, preferring to keep an eye on him as opposed to skewering him, but they were hovering much closer now. My only explanation for their behavior was the uncanny calm the little boy was showing given the circumstances. He was crying and obviously terrified, but he was staying still and keeping his crying relatively quiet. He was a smart little guy, and I was going to get him out of there.

"Got it," I said, letting go of the railing and leaning back off the bucket until I was almost horizontal to the ground below, peering down below one last time.

"Hamada," Owen spoke up quickly, "That's my life going down there."

Shaking slightly I swallowed down the rising panic I felt bubble up in my throat. The rawness of Owen's voice was almost my undoing. Cummins eyes found mine briefly before he looked down, attempting to create the illusion of privacy.

"Not on my watch man," was Hamada's uncompromising answer.

If I had to pick two people to trust with my life these guys would be at the top of the list. Fuck, they WERE the list. If something happened to me today and I didn't make it out I knew it would be because there was physically nothing they could do to stop it. When it's your time, it's your time.

"3, 2," I began the countdown, before launching myself off the bucket backwards when I reached, "1."

The decent into the paddock was short, the rope sliding through my hand quickly as my feet landed with a soft thud on the packed dirt. Immediately I detached my rope from the repelling device, crouching down low behind the cover of a few bushes. I could hear the snorts and heavy footsteps of the animals as they meandered around the paddock, but nothing that indicated the animals had been altered to my presence. The occasional wail of a baby was a clear reminder that I needed out of here five minutes ago.

"Alright Jo, on my mark make your way directly to your left. Take cover behind the rocks Bryce is hiding in," Hamada instructed, pausing until he saw the opening he wanted. "Now!"

Without hesitation I bolted from my hiding spot. My eyes scanned the immediate area as I tried to run as fast as I could while keeping a low profile. When I'd gauged the distance looking from the bucket the boulders hadn't looked very far. Now that I was forced to "sprint" the distance essentially on my hands and knees it felt like a marathon. When I heard a snarl directly behind me I gave up on stealth and ran like my life depended on it, which it probably did.

Sliding to a stop baseball style behind the rocks, I frantically looked for Bryce. At first I thought maybe we'd picked the wrong set of boulders until I spotted the tiny figure tucked in-between two rocks. He had wedged himself into a fissure in the massive rocks in an attempt to hide himself. This kid must destroy his friends when they played hide and seek.

As I took my first step towards him I heard a low pop sound in the distance, followed immediately by an animalistic moan. Twirling around I saw a baby edmontosaurus topple over, a tranquilizer dart lodged at the base of her neck.

"Time to go babe," Owen barked in my ear comm. "Momma won't be far behind."

Making my way to Bryce I smiled at him. His big, brown eyes blinked up at me unsure of my intentions. Squatting down to his level I said, "Hi Bryce, my name's Jo. Are you OK?" His little head nodded up and down, but he stayed firmly tucked in his hiding spot. "That's great buddy. Your mom and dad really miss you, and they asked me to come get you."

At the mention of his parents his eyes widened, and he shifted forward, extricating himself from the rocks. "You know mommy and daddy?" he asked, his voice quivering slightly.

"I sure do," I told him.

He eyed me up and down before asking, "Are you a superhero?"

Smiling, I nodded, "Sort of."

"You look like a superhero. I love superheroes. My favorite is Captain America," he confessed, his voice full of childlike innocence.

"I'm more of an Ironman fan myself, but Captain America is pretty cool." He debated my logic momentarily before shrugging his shoulders in agreement. "What do you say Captain America, are you ready to get out of here?"

"OK, Ironman."

I picked him up, telling him to wrap his arms and legs around me as tight as he could. I tucked his head against my chest, whispering softly to keep his head down and eyes closed no matter what he heard. Once he was attached to me like a barnacle I called out into the comm unit, "Ready to move."

"Hold one," Hamada answered immediately. "We're dumping a load of food into the opposite side of the paddock to create a diversion."

"Can we see mommy and daddy now?" Bryce asked, his head still tucked neatly against mine, his eyes clamped shut.

"Real soon buddy, real soon," I answered, holding him tighter. "Just remember what I told you, keep those eyes closed and hang on tight."

"Alright Jo, go now. Cummins is ready with the automatic wench once you're hooked in."

Sprinting from behind the rocks I made my way to rope line. It took some creative maneuvering to get the rope attached to my harness with Bryce adhered to me like super glue, but I was able to hook into the repel line that would hoist us up. Ten more seconds and this would all be a distance memory.

"Now Cummins," I spoke into the comm unit, looking up towards the bucket. The sound of gears grinding and some pretty impressive cursing was his only reply. The rope remained slack, dangling lazily in the afternoon breeze. "No seriously, now Cummins!"

"I can't get the wench to work." He sounded panicked. Well, that made two of us. "It won't hoist. The levers jammed, it's stripping the gears."

The profanity laced rant that Owen let lose following Cummins' confession made me happy Bryce wasn't wearing an ear comm unit. There were some combinations in there even a few Hail Mary's couldn't undo.

I wasted no time dislodging myself from the rope. There was no way I could climb that distance with Bryce. I wasn't a miracle a worker or the world's strongest man. With no way to secure him to the harness, and only about a 70% chance we'd make it to the top before my muscles gave out that option was officially off the table.

Turning around, I put my back against the paddock wall, desperately scanning the landscape for an alternative escape. Hamada's mid-day food distraction made the two massive doors normally used for workers entrance or exits unreachable. Almost every mother and baby in the paddock was currently lounging by them enjoying their mid-morning tapas.

"Can we get another wench?" Owen called out on the open channel.

"We don't have that kind of time," was Hamada's abrupt answer. "Jo, what do you see?"

"A whole lot of nothing."

I knew now wasn't the time to lose my shit, but the horror of the situation was overwhelming. It wasn't myself I was worried about, it was the scared little boy in my arms. Once the herd found us I'd only be able to protect him for so long, even with Hamada and Owen's help. Once I was gone and they were out of tranqs he'd be defenseless.

Just when I thought we'd have to cancel Christmas I spotted something on the other side of the paddock. There appeared to be a tunnel on the opposite wall. It was a half circle covered by massive steel bars.

"Lowery, do you copy?"

"Loud and clear," he answered.

"The tunnel inside the enclosure, where does it lead?"

"It's a storm drain, for runoff. It empties into the river adjacent to the park."

Just as he finished speaking a massive snort sounded from the front gate. The animals started stomping around, agitated and uncomfortable. The mothers instinctively moved into protective positions around their young as they sniffed the air, assessing the danger.

"Can you open it remotely?" I asked, cataloguing each and every move the herd made. We were down to mere seconds before their attention was focused on us.

"Yes, but it's not exactly a smooth ride. There's a five foot drop once the drain empties into the river not to mention some serious twists and turns," Lowery explained. Well, that was less than ideal, but better than being trampled to death. We'd just have to deal with it.

"We're going to keep it closed until the last possible second. I don't want to risk an uninvited guest following us." I adjusted Bryce, hoisting him up and telling him one more time to hold on like his life depended on it because, it did. "Listen buddy, we're going to take a ride on a water slide. Are you up for it?"

His head pulled away from my chest for the first time since I scooped him up, his eyes full of tears. "I trust you Ironman."

I kissed his forehead, "When I tell you to I want you take a big breathe and hold your nose just like this." I sucked in a huge breath, making a point to exaggerate the action by puffing my cheeks out then squeezed my fingers over my nose. He watched intently, nodding in time with my movements. "Got it?"

He gave me a thumbs up then promptly ducked his head again. Wrapping my arms around him tightly I then said, "OK guys, now is the time to impress me."

"Jo." Owen's voice faltered making me squeeze my eyes closed briefly.

"Me too," I told him then promptly pushed everything out of my mind except for the task at hand.

Saving Bryce was the only thing I could think about right now. Any type of distraction could get us both killed, and the emotions swirling inside me were a serious distraction. A soul searing wail sounded from my left side, and I took off at a dead sprint. I could hear the animal's hoofs pounding on the ground as they pursued us. The noise we created alerted the group by the adjacent door that something was amiss. It didn't take long for a second group to band together, running in a formation directly towards us. Given the angle of their approach there was no way we would reach the gate before we were intercepted.

One of the mothers broke away from the pack, faster than her counterparts. She made a beeline straight towards me, and with nowhere to go but forward and no place to hide I kept sprinting forward, straight at her. No more than five feet before she was set to impale me with her tusks she dropped to the ground in a heap, skidding a few feet before coming to a stop, unconscious. Without missing a beat I hurdled over her, splashing water everywhere as I landed in a shallow puddle of water, my legs buckling under the weight of my burden and the uneven terrain. For the love of all things holy, this was like competing in the steeplechase.

"Hamada, take the ones at 11, 12 and 1 o'clock. I've got the three trailers on her six," Owen barked out, a volley of tranquilizer darts coming from seemingly every direction all at once. In rapid succession three dinosaurs crashed to the ground unconscious in front of me as I heard similar 'thumps' originate behind me.

"Keep going Jo, you're almost there," Owen encouraged as he and Hamada laid waste to any dinosaur that came within striking distance. Well, laid waste was a bit of exaggeration considering we were using non-lethals, but they sure as shit were putting them down for an impromptu nap.

"Lowery, open the grate!" I hollered, my breathing labored with fatigue. I really needed to lay off the bonbons when this was all over. We were rapidly approaching the grate, but the steel bars that cordoned off the drain were still closed.

"What the fuck Lowery!" Owen shouted.

"This isn't exactly something they planned for when they designed the system," he answered, his voice rising in pitch with each syllable.

"I swear on my life if you don't get that door open right fucking now I will tear your spine out and make you eat it," Owen threatened, his voice deadly calm.

Jeez, and people say I have anger management issues.

As a side note, angry Owen was sexy.

When we were less than five feet away from the grate and it remained closed I said I silent goodbye to Lowery. If Owen didn't murder him, Hamada sure would, unfortunately I wouldn't be around to see it.

"Got it!" Lowery shouted triumphantly as the massive steel bars hissed and groaned, but started to slowly rise up. Without slowing down I barreled towards the opening, water and mud splashing all around us. I prayed the bars would open up enough for us to fit without the need for a beheading. Hamada and Owen both fired again taking down a few determined stragglers, and then I was at the entrance.

"OK, Captain America!" I yelled to Bryce, "This is it, hold on tight and remember when I tell you hold your breath and plug your nose!"

Without waiting for a reply I jumped into the tunnel feet first, my back slamming hard into the concrete as I cradled Bryce. We were plunged into complete darkness, the slick, slimy surface of the drain carrying us down towards the river at a breakneck pace. The bends and turns in the tunnel were more water slide than drain pipe, and I was worried Bryce might throw up from all the jostling. Lord knows I wouldn't blame him, those bonbons from earlier felt like lead in my stomach. When I heard him let out an excited squeal as we took a hard turn that caused us to travel halfway up the side of the tunnel I felt myself grin as well.

"Ten feet to the drop," Lowery's voice sounded in my ear.

"OK buddy, here we go. Take a big, deep breath then hold it tight," I instructed, glancing down to see him take a huge gulp of air, his chubby cheeks puffing out as his tiny fingers squeezed his nose closed.

"Five feet, three feet," Lowery counted down. "You should see daylight now."

We came around one last turn and then shot out of the tunnel like a missile launching off an aircraft carrier. The contrast between the pitch black tunnel versus the brilliant sun overhead was blinding, dots and stars dancing in my vision as my eyes attempted to adjust to the drastic change. I felt my body spinning around as we sailed over the river below, my body now positioned for me to hit the water first on my back. I hugged Bryce as tight as I could without hurting him, placing one hand protectively against the back of his head as we plunged down towards the water. The fall wasn't far, but the weightless sensation of plummeting into the unknown can really screw with your senses. Add to the fact I had my back towards the water thus making it impossible to anticipate when we'd hit, and the whole sensation was nauseating.

Just when I thought we might fall forever we crashed into the water, my back lighting up like fire as my entire body throbbed. The height of our fall drug us underwater a fair distance, and I was terrified Bryce wouldn't be able to hold his breath long enough. As soon as our decent slowed I kicked frantically towards the surface, using one hand to pull the water down while the other remained securely wrapped around Bryce. We broke the surface moments later, and I pulled Bryce's face away from my chest only to see him still with his eyes closed, nose pinched, holding his breath. Just like I'd told him to.

"You can open your eyes and breathe again Captain America," I said with a laugh, already starting to paddle towards the river's edge.

He cracked one eye first, looking around hesitantly to make sure he still wasn't rooming with dinosaurs. He opened the other just as I hoisted him onto dry land, pulling myself out next only to collapse beside him in a heap. I needed a vacation.

"That was awesome!" Bryce screeched, clapping his hands in merriment. "Can we do it again?"

An exhausted laugh escaped me, as I wrapped my arm around him, giving him a squeeze. "Maybe later buddy. I think we need to let your parents know you're OK first." He nodded, laughing and jumping up, already re-enacting our dramatic exit from the paddock.

"We're on our way now with the parents. We should be there in 10 minutes," Owen told me through my ear comm.

"That sounds great. I'm gonna just lay here until then."

Maybe take a nap.

My body was aching, my muscles unaccustomed to such use. My hair even hurt. My first day back could be summed up in seven words, well that didn't fucking go as planned.

"Hell of a first day back babe," Owen chuckled.

Turning my head to the side I watched Bryce karate chopped what I assumed was an imaginary edmontosaurus then execute a fairly decent combat roll only to jump up throw his make believe Captain America shield at, something. All things considered I thought the little guy would be all right. He certainly was tough. Maybe _he_ was part superhero. I sighed, closing my eyes and smiling as I listened to Bryce engage in all out combat beside me.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," I replied.

* * *

 **Lioness32: I'm glad they're back too! I'm also glad you decided to come back and not only read, but review...yeah! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, the action gets going a little. Let me know what you thought.  
**

 **DizzyIzzy: You've been busy DizzyIzzy! Not that I'm complaining. Reviews make me happier than day drinking on Friday so thank you for that :) I'm glad you like Jo and the story. What did you think about this chapter? I'm hoping for a happy ending too, but I think these two are going to have to navigate some bumps in the road first. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 **jahoney: Welcome back! I was excited to see your review pop up. I'm glad you decided to check out the sequel, it means a lot to see the same people come back time and time again. I appreciate your reviews and insight.**

 **angelicedg: I think so too! They are so much fun to write, and at this point it's almost feels natural to write them interacting together. I'm also loving the dual POV in this story so we get to see both sides as we go through. Is it weird I wish they were a real life couple? If so, don't tell me, just go with it :) Thanks for sticking with me and reading/reviewing so faithfully. I really do appreciate it!**


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 **~ Jo ~**

 **Four Months Later**

"So, what's it gonna be, Verizon Wireless presents _The Genetic Hybrid Your Parents Told You Horror Stories About_?" I asked Claire as she exited the lab. Dr. Fuckface, more commonly referred to as Wu, scowling at me through the door briefly before continuing to dazzle the three suits in front of him with his unending supply of verbal diarrhea.

"Can we not do this again?" Claire asked, breezing by me with her eyes attached to her phone, typing furiously.

"Do what? I'm with you on this one, it's brilliant. Next we should paint a Nike swoosh on the White House, it could seriously cut down on taxes if we farmed out the Federal Government to sponsors. Picture this, the military sponsored by Under Armour with _Protect this House_ plastered on every piece of equipment they own. Genius and very accurate."

Claire's steps slowed as she gave me a hard look. The one that said, "I don't want to debate this issue with for the millionth time". I got that look a lot around here. It's strange being in the minority when it came to the I-Rex. Most people couldn't wait to unveil that walking nightmare to the public while I would prefer we did something more abstract, like chop its head off.

"Jo, I can't do this right now," Claire sighed, continuing down the hallway. "I've got meetings scheduled for the rest of the day. Can we just focus on why I called you?"

We could, but what would be the fun in that?

"While that seems fun, I thought we could take this opportunity to talk about the sexpot of a lawyer who was eye fucking you at the meeting last week," I offered, keeping pace beside her.

She stumbled at my words, letting her phone drop to her side. "Who?"

"Edward. I think they call him Ed. Nice nickname, very clever."

Her eyes narrowed, brow wrinkled as she thought back, trying to place the name. Normally I tried to steer clear of other people's love lives, but Claire needed to get laid just about as bad as anyone I'd ever met. If anything could loosen this woman up it was a little horizontal mambo time. I thought of it like a public service. A relaxed Claire was better for everyone at Jurassic World.

"The short guy who's a little overweight with the comb over?" she asked, her voice rising in pitch. I shook my head at her; she had so little faith in me.

"Claire, gimme a little credit, please. While I will confess that guy was definitely undressing you with his eyes, you might want to consider I gender neutral pant suit next time, that's not who I'm talking about." She held her hands up, waiting for me to continue. "I'm talking about the guy who looks like a young Matthew McConaughey. I'm talking Magic Mike, Matthew McConaughey, not Dallas Buyers Club, Matthew McConaughey. He's tall, well dressed, new to the staff, has a full head of hair, and appeared 100% willing to let you ride his candy stick."

"Jo!" she admonished, looking around to see if anyone overhead. She was trying to look outraged, but I saw the excitement flash in her eyes. I had her. "That didn't…he wasn't looking at me like anything."

I nodded my head, pretending to agree with her.

"You know the way Owen looks at me?"

She blushed, smoothing down non-existent flyaways in her hair before answering, "Everyone sees the way that man looks at you. It's hard to miss."

"I know, it's pretty great right?" I smirked, laughing at her glare. "Anyways, that's how Ed was looking at you. Trust me on this one; I make a living paying attention to details."

"You obviously weren't paying attention to the actual meeting," she retorted.

I shrugged, "I pay attention to details that matter, and Ed wanting to Slytherin your Hufflepuff is a detail that matters."

"What?" she asked, confused. Maybe Owen was right about all that Harry Potter.

"Midnight organ fighting?"

Still nothing.

"Stuffin the muffin?"

She looked a little irritated now.

"The battle of balls deep?"

"Enough," she pleaded, "I get it."

Thank god, I was running out of euphemisms.

"All I'm saying is you should give him a call." I handed her his business card, shrugging in response to her bewildered look that demanded I explain why I had it in the first place.

"Can we focus on work and not…" she trailed off, continuing down the hall. I grinned when I saw her tuck the business card into her pocket.

Shaking my head in amusement, I fell into step beside her. "Whatever you say boss. To what do I owe the pleasure of this hallway meeting?"

When Zara had called to tell me Claire needed 15 minutes of my morning I'd been less than thrilled. Don't get me wrong, I like Claire just fine, but anytime she officially put you on her calendar it meant you'd been bad. I was probably going to end up sitting in timeout wearing the Cone of Shame when this was over.

"Marketing and advertising is revisiting the idea of doing some promotional videos with you. Maybe even an ad campaign."

Now it was my turn for my steps to falter.

"What? Why?"

Marketing, advertising, and PR all avoiding me like the plague. Ever since I'd sketched up a poster to promote the I-Rex and emailed it to them they'd been somewhat distant. They returned my email with one of their own stating firmly that they "appreciated the effort", but the picture of a dinosaur roaming the park terrorizing the guests wasn't the direction they were looking to go for the time being. Fine by me if they weren't shooting for authenticity.

"The video has popped up again," she started, unable to meet my gaze. "It's closing in on 10 million views and they think it would be good for the park to get your face out there."

10 million views?!

Who was I, Taylor Swift?

"Are you fucking serious right now?!" I yelled, Claire's head swinging back and forth, making sure no small children were in the near vicinity. We were almost to the stairs leading down to the main level of the visitor's center, and the place was awash with activity. She looked back at me, her face serious.

In my defense she should have known better than to have this conversation in a public place.

"Listen, I know how you feel about it, but we can't control it. According to Lowery once something is posted to the internet it's there forever," she explained, her face softening a bit. "We've already blocked the content, but it's only a matter of time before it reappears somewhere else."

Four months ago I'd rescued a little boy from the enclosure at the petting zoo. The ordeal had forced management to re-work their entire approach to the exhibit, and had tarnished our already shaky reputation before it had even begun. While we anticipated a PR nightmare we had incorrectly assumed the damage would be limited to word of mouth accounts of the incident by guests that had been here.

That theory had gone off the rails when an employee made a video using footage obtained from security cameras at the exhibit. The slimeball then promptly high tailed it off the island, selling the footage to the first news organization he'd come across once his feet hit dry land. I'd woken up the following morning to a million phone calls, my picture displayed on all the news outlet, and the video plastered to every website known to man.

What no one saw coming was the shift in public opinion once the video was released. For some fucked up reason the footage turned the public's opinion in our favor, though I'll never understand why. What started as a PR nightmare suddenly became publicity we couldn't hope to buy. According to Lowery I was now "internet famous" which just sounded bad to me, and I had no idea what it actually meant? The only other people I knew who were "internet famous" were porn stars which didn't exactly paint me in the most flattering light.

Management immediately drew up plans to parade me around on to the talk show circuit, scheduling interviews without even talking to me first. Simon, being the smart businessman that he was, insisted I be "screen tested" in house first. Translation, "I want to know what she's going to say before you let her loose on network television". Needless to say after a five minute meeting with PR in which they pretended to interview me in front of a camera while I gave my accounting of that day, along with my opinions regarding it, the idea of letting me talk on live TV was promptly abandoned.

While the live TV angle was a no go they had been hounding me for weeks to let them do photo shoots and release some per-recorded sound bites. They even brought up the possibility of written interviews, which they would then thoroughly vet prior to printing.

Gotta love the First Amendment in action, huh?

I thought I'd handled their endless request quiet professionally. I told them to go fuck themselves. I didn't want to be internet famous, and I certainly didn't want to talk about what was most certainly the worst day of Bryce's young life. Using what happened as some kind of bargaining chip to our advantage felt wrong. Calling me a hero was absurd. Especially when it was our fault Bryce ended up in that predicament in the first place.

My moral compass may not almost point due north, but even I had limits.

"I'm not doing any kind of press," I told her firmly. "Trying to make money off of what happened that day is sick. What everyone should worry about is making sure we do a better job of vetting our employees."

Claire's lips compressed into a thin line. "We are, and for your information the lawyers say we have an excellent case against Mr. Richardson."

"Yeah, if you can get him extradited from Russia." I was pretty sure the guy was living at the airport with Snowden.

We made our way down a flight of stairs, and I suppressed a groan as I took in the hordes of people. Getting out of this place at this time of day was going to be a nightmare.

"I'll let marketing know you're thinking about it." I cut my eyes to Claire, my mouth opening in retort. "You don't have to commit, but I can't go back and just tell them screw you."

I wouldn't have said screw you, it was just too tame, but I was so shocked by her cussing I almost fell down the stairs.

"My, my, my Claire, I think I'm rubbing off on you," I laughed.

She rolled her eyes.

Jesus, she was practically my clone now.

"Don't tell anyone, especially not Owen, I'll never hear the end of it."

Her cell phone rang and she answered as we continued down the stairs when all of a sudden she called out, "Gray, is that you?"

A boy, who appeared about nine years-old, turned immediately and broke into a run, making a beeline for Claire. An older boy, undoubtedly in his teenage years if his facial expressions were anything to go by, made his way over with far less enthusiasm. She hung up the phone, telling whoever was on the line that she had to go because her nephews were here.

Gray ran right up to Claire, enveloping her in a hug that visibly made her uncomfortable. Her arms hung limply at her side for a second as she looked to me for guidance. I held my hands up gesturing for her to hug the kid back. It wasn't rocket science.

"Oh my gosh, you're so, you're so sweet," she told him awkwardly as she patted him on the back like he was a dog. Her attention turned to the older nephew as he walked up slowly, about as eager as someone forced to attend an execution.

"Wow, Zach, last time I saw you, you were like," she held her hand out about waist high. Good lord had it really been that long since she'd seen these two? I stood silently next to her watching the clumsy exchange with interest. This was more uncomfortable than your first Brazilian wax. "That was like what, three, four years ago?"

"Ah, seven, seven years, but uh, close," Zach answered, smirking at the fact he was able to correct his Aunt's mistake. Claire shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to continue with both myself and Zara looking on.

I narrowed my eyes at the teenager. OK, so Claire wasn't going to be winning Aunt of the Year anytime soon, but did he have to be such a dick. Gray's eyes shifted over to me, his mouth dropping open.

"You're Jo King!" he screamed, jumping up and down with excitement. Cringing, I looked around to make sure no one else heard. Judging by the curious looks I was receiving in return everyone had heard him just fine.

"That's me," I confirmed, turning my body away from the mass of people. "Mind keeping that on the down low for now?" I reached my hand out to him and he shook it so vigorously I felt my tendinitis flare up in my shoulder.

"You know who she is?" Claire asked, eyes darting back-and-forth between Zach and Gray.

Zach's blushed and he was unable to maintain eye contact with me. "Everyone knows who she is Aunt Claire," he responded, the blush now traveling down his neck. Oh wonderful.

Fuck my life with that freaking YouTube video.

Claire eyed me with smug satisfaction. "You really should rethink the whole ad campaign. You've already got two fans right here," she grinned, gesturing to her nephews.

Sure thing Claire because what I needed in my life was my face plastered to the ceiling of every teenage boy in America.

"So, you guys excited about the park?" I asked the boys in an effort to change the subject, ignoring Claire's suggestion.

Gray beamed at me, rattling off every dinosaur fact known to man while Zach simply shrugged his indifference. I felt that way too about this place sometimes buddy. Claire handed over an envelope full of money for food as she explained their all-access wrist bands. You would have to be blind to miss the disappointment on their faces once they realized their Aunt wouldn't be joining them until later, if not tomorrow. She tried to play it off by bribing them with a behind the scenes pass to the control room the next day, but from where I was standing it did little to console them. Claire definitely needed practice with the whole Aunt gig. Her phone beeped and she was barely able to withstand the urge to run off at the sound.

"OK, so, um I'll see you tonight at, uh, six," she told them, backing away slowly like you would if you happened upon a grizzly bear in the wild.

"Oh no, no, no, don't forget you have…" Zara interjected. Zara, the walking palm pilot, saves the day again. The chic was better than Siri.

"Right of course, I'll see you tonight at…eight. What time do you go to sleep?" I hide my face in my hands. I couldn't watch anymore of this car accident. "Or, do you go to sleep at different times?"

Holy shit. This was painful. I was embarrassed for her.

Gray sent a withering look to his brother in response to his Aunt's questions which she missed because she was checking her phone, again. That thing was gonna give her brain cancer.

"OK, so um, have fun, and take very good care of them OK," she directed the last part to Zara as she walked away quickly, phone already glued to her ear.

The boys turned slowly, eyeing Zara up and down with trepidation. Nothing says fun vacation like being dumped on a stranger posing as Mary Poppins.

"Hey Zara, why don't you let me hang with the boys for a while," I suggested. I wasn't nearly as organized or efficient as Zara and I was still a stranger, but I didn't have an aversion to fun which made me the better option.

"I don't know," she began, weary to abandon her charges into my care. "Claire was pretty specific in her instructions."

Oh I bet the Itinerary Queen was specific.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. Plus, she mentioned Simon was taking her somewhere so you know what that means."

Zara paled instantly. "The helicopter?"

I shook my head grimly. That was all the encouragement she needed. "Well, just for an hour or so. I can meet you later or you can text me," she said, already rushing to catch up with Claire.

"Yeah, I'll make sure to do that," I lied. The kids were on an isolated island with wrist bands their Aunt probably tagged with tracking devices, they'd be fine on their own for a while. Let 'em live a little before their eight o'clock bedtime.

"Great, thanks Jo," she called out before disappearing into the crowd.

I waved goodbye, turning to the boys. "So, you guys hungry?"

Margarittaville was packed (when wasn't it) but Marco was able to seat us right away at a table in the corner he kept vacant for employees looking for a quick lunch.

"We'll take three burgers, medium, with cheese and bacon," I told Marco, waving off the menus. "You guys like soda?" They both nodded enthusiastically. "Two sodas and a beer," I added, folding my hands in front of me on the table.

Marco stared at me, lips pursed in disapproval.

"What?" I questioned.

"First of all, you can't have the burgers if you don't call them by the right name."

Rolling my eyes I told him, "I'm not calling them that."

"Why not?" he huffed, put out by my refusal.

"Do you need another reason than because it's stupid." Why did we have to go through this every time? Where was Owen when you needed him? He had no problem rattling off the asinine menu names.

"I'm telling Simon you said that," Marco threatened. I raised my eyebrows at him. Did he really think I hadn't told Simon the same thing? "OK, that was pointless, but nevertheless, call it by its rightful name or no more trashcan punch for you."

"Whoa!" I blurted out, pointing my finger at him, my eyes narrowed to slits. "That's way over the line."

The punishment should fit the crime.

He crossed his arms over his massive belly, waiting me out. Zach and Gray couldn't contain their laughter at our exchange. Traitors.

I hated saying the menu items by their true name, but I hated the thought of no more Marco trashcan punch more.

"Fine, can we please have three brontosaurs burgers with cheese and bacon?" I tried to keep my voice as low as possible. I was internet famous now. I couldn't have people overhearing me saying something so ridiculous.

"Of course you can," Marco smiled, jotting down the order. "But you can't have a beer. You can have a soda."

My mouth dropped open. Was Marco my surrogate mother now too?

"Are you kidding me? Do I need to show you my ID?" I was already fishing the damn thing out of my pocket.

"That won't be necessary. You can't have a beer because as far as I know Dr. Kondrat hasn't cleared you for alcoholic beverages yet," Marco stated, finally looking up from his pad.

"Un-fucking-believable," I mumbled. The people on this island needed a hobby other than gossiping. "Do I need to bring you my latest pap smear results too Marco? I'm fine, have been for a while now. If you haven't noticed I'm back at work full-time."

Marco cringed at the mention of my lady garden.

"Um, no thanks, I'll let Owen handle things on that front," he supplied, ignoring the warning glare I shot across his bow. "I'm only bringing it up because Dr. Kondrat was in here the other day, and he mentioned I should refrain from serving you alcohol for at least a few months. Something about how it would interact with your medication."

Why that little shit, I fumed internally.

I was going to strangle him the next time I saw him then I was really going to go to work on him.

I wasn't on medication anymore, hadn't been for weeks, a fact he was keenly aware of considering he was my doctor. That penis wrinkle was just pissed I'd changed the home screen on his computer to a trio of shirtless, oiled up firemen and planted the idea in the nurses heads that a stripper gram for his birthday would be a good idea. Didn't anyone have a sense of humor anymore?

It was a joke doc, not a dick, don't take it so hard.

"Soda's fine," I told Marco, turning my attention back to the boys as he walked away to place our order. "So, Claire's you guy's Aunt huh? That must be pretty cool."

Zach looked away and Gray just fiddled with his napkin. Wow, Claire really needed to up her game.

"Come on, she can't be all bad." Zach pursed his lips. Or maybe she could. "Listen, I know she's not the most…"

"Normal," Gray supplied as I struggled to find the right word.

"Normal, thank you Gray, Aunt in the world, but you guys should be proud of her. She runs this place single-handedly, and believe me when I tell you that ain't easy."

Especially when you had people like me running around causing mayhem and destruction on the daily.

"We haven't seen her in seven years," Zach accused, crossing his arms over his chest like a pissed off cheerleader whose boyfriend had cheated on her.

Leaning forward in my seat I leveled him with a look. "Listen up you two, I'm not excusing your Aunt from being absent in your lives to this point, but you better show her some respect. That woman has is a force to be reckoned with, and she's worked hard to get where she's at. Plus, every step of the way she's had people waiting for her to fail. This place isn't freaking Disney World, and the shit that goes on here is life and death." I looked between the two of them making sure they were hearing me before continuing. "You don't have to forgive her for not being there, but give her a chance, she's trying now. At least you have a family that's willing to do that, not everyone can say that."

Sufficiently scolded they both mumbled their promise to give their Aunt the benefit of the doubt going forward. With that out of the way the topic of conversation moved on to lighter subjects, their trip out here, the upcoming school year, life in general. I nearly fell out of my seat laughing when Gray explained Zach's love sick tendencies over the opposite sex.

"He just stares at them," Gray explained, his hands flailing around as he talked. "He doesn't talk, doesn't smile, he just stares. It's so freaky."

I laughed, popping a french fry into my mouth. "Generally speaking Zach, women appreciate men with vocal cords." Most of the time.

"I talk to them," he mumbled, his blush returning. "Sometimes."

Gray and I both erupted in another fit of laughter, and I saw Zach suppressing his own grin. The kid didn't look like such a stalker when he ratcheted down the angst routine.

"Can I ask you a question?" Zach said.

"You can ask," I answered. "Doesn't mean I'll answer."

He shook his head at me, forging on with his questions. "Earlier that guy Marco said you weren't allowed to drink. What happened?"

Suddenly the french fries that had tasted so good a moment earlier turned to ash in my mouth. Dropping the one in my hand back into my basket I straightened up in my chair. Gray and Zach's eyes were both on me, anxiously awaiting my answer.

Clearing my throat I told them, "A little over a year ago I was in an accident. It was bad, and I just recently got back on my feet."

There, that wasn't so hard. Like ripping off a Band-Aid. If the Band-Aid was attached to your skin with superglue.

"Like a car accident?" Gray attempted to clarify.

My gaze softened as I took in his face, he wasn't asking for morbid curiosity's sake. He was a smart young man who thrived on details, and I left some pretty big ones out.

"Yeah Gray, a car accident."

I could tell by the look on Zach's face he knew there was more to the story than I was letting on. He also knew I there was better chance of him trading in his 'V' card on this trip than getting any more out of me. I was grateful he chose not to press the issue. I'd hate to have to tell Claire I maimed her nephew.

My cell phone rang and I apologize to the boys as I pulled it out of my pocket. The theme from Armageddon rang loudly throughout the restaurant, and my inner competitive goddess smiled with glee.

Did he really think a half-assed threat against Ted would work?

"Shouldn't you be training raptors or something?" I asked Owen, a stupid smile on my face.

"This coming from the woman attempting to day drink while on the clock," he shot back. Whirling around in my seat my eyes found Marco's as he stood behind the bar. I drug my finger across my throat slowly then pointed at him, my threat hanging in the air. He scurried back into the kitchen.

"Well, I struck out on that front, but I'm hoping to score some NyQuil at the store. If I can't find that there's always huffing whiteout."

"Cool, grab enough from two," he joked. "You gonna make it out for this afternoon's training?"

Glancing at my watch I answered, "Yeah, I'll be there. Is Hoskins still lurking around?"

Owen groaned, "Yes, unfortunately. If you come out here do you pinky promise not break him?"

Silence.

"Jo," Owen warned.

"Fine, I promise not to break any bones today."

"Say I pinky promise not to break _Hoskins_ bones today," Owen said, emphasizing the Anti-Christ's name. That man could read me like a book.

I put my hand over my heart before answering, "I pinky promise not to break Hoskins bones today."

But that motherfucker better be off the island by tomorrow or all bets were off.

"Good, see you in a few," he said. "And change that freaking ringtone."

Hanging up the phone I look around the restaurant. How did he know? He probably had this place more tricked out than an F.B.I. surveillance van.

I quickly paid the bill, outright refusing to answer questions pertaining to my pinky promise. The last thing I needed was Claire getting wind of any of plans concerning Hoskins, or his impending demise.

"Was that your boyfriend on the phone?" Gray asked, gulping down the last of his soda. Now it was my turn to blush.

"It was," I answered honestly.

"What does he do at the park?" Zach chimed in.

"He trains the Velociraptors," I answered distractedly, taking one last sip of my own soda. When they both froze, mouths open, eyes wide, I asked, "What?"

"He trains Velociraptors?" Gray asked in awe, his mouth still hanging open.

"Yep."

Maybe I wasn't the only one who was internet famous. Owen was the equivalent of a Kardashian around here. I shook my head; he didn't even have to be physically present to dazzle people.

"Can we go with you?" Gray asked, bouncing up and down in his seat.

"Uh, no," I answered quickly. "One, the raptors aren't part of the park. Even your handy dandy all-access wrist bands can't get you in there," I told him, pointing to the bands.

"And two?" Zach asked.

"Two, I'd like to keep my job and my life. Your Aunt would poison my beer if she knew I took you anywhere near the raptor paddock." They both looked like I'd just kicked their puppies. Did they not remember the horror stories that came out of Jurassic Park regarding raptors? They were supposed to be scared shitless, not disappointed. "So, what do you plan to do today?"

Gray began rattling off every attraction and exhibit he wanted to see, in alphabetical order. It basically consisted of covering every conceivable inch of the park, and I glanced at Zach in sympathy. I hope the guy brought his running shoes.

"That sounds like a killer day," I told the Gray who smiled back at me. "Y'all planning to ditch Zara?"

They both looked down, guilt plastered all over their faces. I laughed, standing up as we walked out of the restaurant.

"Wait until she's on her phone," I told them both. "As efficient as that woman is at multi-tasking she loses focus pretty quick when she's on the phone."

They both laughed, giving me a high five as I pointed them in the direction of the T-Rex paddock, discreetly texting Zara their next location. I wasn't going to make it easy for them.

As I made my way towards my Jeep I couldn't help but smile as I thought about Claire's nephews. They were great kids. Seeing their enthusiasm, well Gray's at least, for the park was refreshing. I spent so much time analyzing the dangers and trying to mediate the risks I sometimes missed the bigger picture. Maybe what we were doing here was a good thing. Maybe a world with dinosaurs and people could co-exist in peace, here, on this tiny island in Central America.

The slight twinge of uneasiness that had followed me since I discovered the park's dirty little secret reminded me of the looming danger we kept out of sight, at least for now.

I wanted to help create a place where we could observe these majestic creatures without harm to each another, but I was afraid we'd created just the opposite.

My heart wanted the dream, but head understood the reality.

* * *

 **Gryffindor Rat: Well hello there! I loved, absolutely loved, your review. I do the same thing if I find a story or author I love...I binge read like my life depends on it so hearing someone do that for my stories makes me all squishy inside. Love it! I hope you keep reading and keep loving it :) As a side note, given your handle on this site I think you are gonna LOVE the references here. My kids just discovered Harry Potter so I have been watching them with them over and over so I'm on a Harry Potter high these days. Again, thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter.  
**

 **LaurenMarie814: I'm so happy to hear you say that b/c that is exactly what's happening in my head too. I can really just "see" all this happening in real life with these characters. I don't know if that's healthy, but I'm going with it...LOL! I'm glad you liked the Owen/Hamada stand off. Enjoy this chapter and thanks so much for reading and reviewing!**

 **jahoney: Thanks so much. I agree, nothing ever goes as planned at this park. It's to be expected, I guess. Thanks again for the review. Hope to hear from you again :)**

 **CopperMax: My kids are seriously into superheros. They can't get enough of them...probably has something to do with Captain America: Civil War, but I'm just guessing. That conversation between Bryce and Jo was almost exactly like a conversation I had with my son. He likes to debate the merits of the different Avengers...he's super analytical. I have no idea where he gets it from. Mostly I just nod and try to not let my eyes glaze over as he talks. Anyways, I'm glad you liked that part and thanks so much for reading and reviewing.**

 **DizzyIzzy: That was a fun chapter to write, and it will impact things going forward. I'm stoked you enjoyed it and came back to not only read, but review. It means a lot, and I hope you enjoyed this next installment.**

 **angelicedg: OMG, I would so watch that show! It would be amazing! They certainly have a more exciting life than me, for sure. As always, I appreciate you reading and reviewing. Hope you liked this chapter!**

 **Aria2302: I don't know why, but when I saw the petting zoo in the movie that was the first thing I thought of...bad idea. Probably because I'm overprotective, but I thought delving into it a little more would not only be interesting, but give us way to ramp up the beginning of this story. I'm glad you enjoyed it and thanks for reading/reviewing.**


	6. Chapter 4

**Let's kick things up a notch, shall we?**

* * *

Chapter 4

 **~ Owen ~**

"You don't need to stay through the session," I told Hoskins as Barry and I shoved a pig into the holding pen. "I'll give you call after to let you know how it goes."

Translation, get the fuck out of here before Jo shows up and cuts your heart out with a spoon, and I bury you in a shallow grave.

Interacting with Hoskins and pretending like I didn't know he'd tried to murder my girlfriend was slowly eating away at my sanity. I smiled when required, bit my tongue more often than not, and shrugged indifferently about 1,000 times a day whenever he was around, and it was killing me. It simply wasn't my style to keep quiet and bide my time, but Jo's well-being as well as the future of my program depending on me not curb stomping the cockstain.

Plus, Jo insisted on handling Hoskins (and everyone else) herself so I was well and truly wedged between a rock and hard place. I may hate Hoskins with a passion, but my girlfriend was one scary lady. You know what they say, happy wife (or girlfriend), happy life. So I kept quiet and waited.

It was also worth repeating that Hoskins role in Jo's near death was far from clear. In fact, when you spelled it out we had no tangible evidence linking him to the crime, but I knew in my gut he was involved. Unfortunately, my gut wouldn't hold up in a court of law.

If he wasn't such a simple minded moron I'd put money on the plan being his idea, but Hoskins didn't have the kind of patience or finesse to pull off a stunt like that. If Hoskins had planned the hit Rogers would have shot Jo point blank in the middle of Mainstreet. The man didn't do subtle; he did sloppy and loud. Nevertheless, he was entangled in the whole ordeal, even if he was nothing but another puppet for Wu to manipulate. So here I was pandering to this ass clown until I could even up the score sheet.

"And miss the chance to see what they can do in person!" Hoskins exclaimed, shaking his head, "Not a chance in hell boy. I got big plans for them if things keep progressing the way they have been."

Clenching my hands I bit my tongue to keep from lashing out. My girls were just pawns on a chessboard to him. Everything InGen touched was tainted with ill purpose, and distorted beyond recognition by the time they were finished. The potential, the beauty, the ingenuity stripped away until it was just a grotesque farce.

I was saved the agony of giving a neutral retort when Jo walked up, a devilish grin on her face as she eyed Hoskins.

Oh shit, incoming!

"Hey Hoskins, is that your white panel van parked out back?" she asked, hitching her thumb over her shoulder, pointing towards the parking lot. "Tell me, do you bother to roofie the women before you throw them in the back or do you skip all that, and go straight at them Criminal Minds style?"

Barry covered his face with his hands in an effort to conceal his laugher. The shaking of his shoulders and the occasional snort made it a superbly poor effort on his part. It was all I could do to keep from joining him. Jo knew how to use every weapon at her disposal to deliver debilitating strikes at her opponents, and verbal combat was no exception.

Hoskins face turned beat red, a vein in his neck throbbing against his skin. Jesus, if the guy didn't calm down he'd probably have a heart attack, and there was no way in hell I was giving him mouth to mouth.

"Simon finally let you off his leash?" he sneered back at her.

As far as comebacks went it was pretty lame. Jo had a black belt in verbal warfare, and it was clear Hoskins wasn't ready for full day Pre-K. She tipped her head back laughing as she walked forward, stopping a few feet from him.

"Ooh, someone's grumpy. Did they kick you out of the all you can eat buffet again?" I knew the look in her eyes right now. She was just getting started. I may have reasons to hold back when it came to Hoskins, but Jo had none of the same motivations. If an opportunity presented itself where he was concerned she'd gladly take it. "That's not fair. How are you supposed to maintain that stunning physique if they won't let you train?"

If by stunning physique she was referring to Hoskins testing the strength of cotton fibers then yes, he looked incredible. The entire exchange was created to bait him, but the man was just too stupid to see it. This woman did nothing without a purpose, and the purpose here was to raise hell.

Hoskins' face constricted in absolute rage as he quickly closed the distance towards her. Springing into action I inserted myself between the pair before Hoskins got himself killed. In a normal situation I would have done it to protect my girlfriend, but the only person who needed protection here was Hoskins. The guy may tell war stories about his "Purple Heart" and "being a dog of war", but stepping into the ring with Jo was the equivalent of him taking on Georges St-Pierre, and I didn't have time to clean up all the blood.

"Calm down and step back," I told him, putting my hand to his chest to stop his advance. I heard Jo huff behind me in annoyance.

"I'll step back when you put a muzzle on your bitch!" he spit out, pointing a chubby finger at the woman behind me.

There was crossing the line, and then there was pole vaulting over it.

Stepping into Hoskins personal space I eyed him in warning, my voice filled with deadly intent as I told him, "I'm only going to say this once, I don't give a shit if your my boss, you ever talk to her like that again I'll cut your fucking tongue out and feed it to the raptors. Got it?"

Hoskins paled, licking his lips and swallowing thickly before shaking his head in agreement. I nodded back at him, stepping away as he swiftly turned on his heel, stalking towards the stairs leading to the paddock catwalk.

Sighing, I turned to face Jo. "Was that really necessary?"

"Define necessary?" she asked, smiling at me as she pulled a bag of Twizzlers out of her cargo pocket. "Twizzler?"

Rolling my eyes, I held my hand out. "You promised."

"Ah, no, that's not true," she clarified, wagging a finger in my face. "I said I wouldn't break him and I didn't. Although if you hadn't gone all Last of the Mohicans just then I might have had to break my promise which would've been infinitely more satisfying."

I couldn't argue with that.

"Owen, we're ready for you," one of the paddock workers called from the catwalk.

"Time to go to work," I said. "Can you behave or do you need a spanking?"

Jo grinned at me, stepping closer, placing a hand on my chest. "That sounds kinky. Are we talking Fifty Shades of Grey spanking? Do we need to pick a safe word?"

"I'm standing right here," Barry groaned, covering his eyes. "It's the middle of the day and we're at work. Can't you guys act like normal people for two seconds?"

Smiling down at her I kissed her briefly before stepping back to look at Barry. "Don't hate the player man, hate the game."

Jo laughed, holding out her fist, which I promptly bumped, Barry muttered something inaudible in French as he walked away.

"He's crankier than usual. Think he's still mad about the Kama Sutra for Couples book I got him for his birthday?" Jo asked, nodding her head towards Barry as she fell in step beside me.

"No, I think he's pissed he can't put it to use with his girlfriend 4,000 miles away." She grinned, shoving another Twizzler in her mouth. "I, however, am more than happy to do the research."

"I bookmarked page 26," she whispered, wagging her eyebrows at me.

"Page 26?" I let out a low whistle, tipping my head to the side. "I thought you said page 26 wasn't realistic?"

She shrugged, "Turns out all that yoga with Zara isn't useless after all. Sky's the limit now."

Swallowing thickly I glanced behind me, the guys waiting patiently. "You're going be the death of me," I admitted.

"Nah," she smiled, straightening my vest. "Now get out there and make momma proud."

I snorted, slapping her on the ass before turning and getting into position. Jo strolled over to the opposite side of the catwalk, away from everyone to watch. She came by a few times a month in an official capacity to observe the girls as they went through their drills to make sure the security protocols we had in place were still holding. The raptors were incredibly intelligent, and as they'd grown we'd had to make various adjustment not only to our approach to training them, but paddock security as well.

Hoskins was silent as I passed him, still brooding next to Barry as he tried to salvage his pride. I took my position on a bridge, positioned directly in the center of the paddock. Nodding to the newest paddock worker he released the pig into the enclosure. It only took moments for the girls to pick up the scent of their prey, the four of them falling into their typical formation as they raced forward. The pig ran for its life, squealing and grunting as it made its way out of the bushes and into the clearing below me. The bushes directly behind the animal swayed and rustled right before the raptors exploded out of the foliage in hot pursuit of their meal.

"Hold," I bellowed, Blue skidding to a stop as the pig continued on to the safety of its cage behind me. Blue, Delta and Echo rounded the corner a few seconds later, stopping behind Blue as the four of them chirped, growled, and tapped their claws in agitation.

"Hey!" I called to them, one hand up, the other behind my back. Their eyes, previously fixed on the pigs escape hatch, sprang to mine. "OK, eyes on me," I instructed, clicking my button once.

Blue growled in annoyance, her eyes leaving mine and finding the hatch once again. I needed to remedy this quickly, if I lost Blue I'd likely lose them all this session.

"Blue, watch it." I clicked twice, pointing at her sternly. Charlie growled, barring her teeth. "Charlie, hey, don't gimme that shit. Delta, lock it up!"

The four of them finally obeyed, standing still, eyes locked on mine. "Good, and we're moving." I clicked a few more times, moving to my right around a corner with my hand held high.

The raptors shifted, following me with their eyes as well as their bodies. If you'd told me even six months ago this was possible I'd have told you to lay off Marco's trashcan punch. It was nothing short of miraculous what we'd achieved in such a short amount of time. The scientific implications of our research would keep the behavioral research community busy for decades to come.

"Hold," I commanded once I was positioned directly in front of what Jo had deemed the "death bucket" otherwise known as the bucket filled with dead rats.

"Hey, that is good. That is damn good." I punctuated my approval with a few clicks. "Very good, see Charlie that's what you get. Echo, there ya go. Delta." I called them each by name before tossing them their individual treats.

Grabbing the last rat I looked directly at Blue. She was my first-born, the one I favored above all the others though I knew I shouldn't. "Blue," I called out, her head rising sharply to look at me. I held the rat up for her examination before tossing it to her with a, "This one's for you."

She swallowed the rat after only two chomps. "Hold," I called out again. We were almost done. So close. "Eyes up." I lifted my hand into the air and all four raptor heads rose like marionettes on a string. I closed my hand into a fist, pausing to ensure they were complying. They waited for my command though the slight quiver of their bodies showed the amount of restraint it took for them to do so.

"Go." I dropped my hand, releasing the raptors and ending the session. The four of them sprinted under the bridge as Barry jogged up, high fiving me in elation with a pat on the back.

"You finally did it man," he commented, Hoskins voice calling out as he made his way past the workers and towards us. Jo ran up from the opposite side of the bridge, colliding with me as she wrapped her arms around my neck, squeezing hard.

"I knew you would do it," she whispered.

I hugged her back, letting out a sigh of relief I hadn't known I was holding until now. She knew I _would_ do it. Not that I could, but that I would. Her faith in me was unshakeable. She believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself. Blind trust and belief in others wasn't something she handed out readily, and I was struck again by the power of the gift she'd bestowed on me.

The moment was sinking in, I'd done it. After years of failing, months of hoping, and weeks of "almost" we'd finally had a breakthrough. They'd accepted me as their alpha and followed my commands through an entire session despite the fact I clearly was not one of their own. Wiping my sweaty palms on a rag I contemplated the repercussions. I couldn't wrap my head around it all, overcome with so many different emotions. Unfortunately with Hoskins at the paddock I knew I'd have no time to process the day's events.

He laughed, sauntering over to us like he'd had some kind of role in the day's success. "I was starting to think I'd hired the wrong guys, but damn you got them eating out of your palm," he said smugly.

I could practically feel Barry and Jo's scowl from behind me as I bit back a less than enthusiastic retort. Instead opting for a simple, "You came on a good day. It's not usually a happy ending."

"Is that why you're not sending your reports?" he asked as we shook hands.

Barry scoffed, "We've been busy."

I swear sometimes I felt more like a prison guard around here than a trainer. I already had to make sure Jo didn't push Hoskins into the paddock, I didn't need to worry about Barry joining in.

"Not too busy to cash your paycheck." He danced forward, pretending to punch Barry in the stomach.

"What a jackass," Jo muttered from behind me.

"Ah, what do you need buddy?" In that moment I hated myself a little for having to go through this kind of bullshit. Hoskins deserved broken limbs not platitudes, but for the sake of the raptors and the safety of my girlfriend I had no other options. And boy, did he know it.

"A field test," he said, hands on his hips as I immediately turned around, glancing briefly at Jo who shook her head. Hoskins glared at her as we passed by, making our way down the bridge. Jo winked back at him, following Barry the opposite direction.

"I've just seen they can respond to commands," he asserted, his tone dead serious. "We need to take the research and get it on its feet."

The guy was certifiable. He spoke about science and research, but I knew his intention weren't so altruistic. Plus, I wasn't sure he even had a high school diploma.

"Their wild animals Hoskins, trust me, you don't want them in the field."

They guy didn't want them anywhere, but a controlled environment. He just didn't know it yet.

"I just saw a bond, a real bond, between man and beast," he implored, halting my progress by standing in front of me.

Wow, this guy had watched one too many Man vs. Wild episodes, and he was starting to piss me off.

"You're in my way," I warned him, all pretense of civility removed from my tone.

"Come on, we're the same, we're dogs of war." Oh shit, here comes the Purple Heart story. I wonder if he would keep talking if I jumped into the paddock. "We know that the military needs to reduce casualties. Some people think that robots are the future," he continued.

Laughing at the ridiculous notion I kept walking. Unable to take a hint he followed me, walking backwards as he continued his spiel. "Nature gave us the most effective killing machines 75 million years ago, and now we know they can take orders."

He grabbed my arm, stopping me as Barry and Jo walked up. "Finally make progress and that's the first thing he says, make a weapon," Barry mocked.

"The fact that he's focused on anything other than his ever expanding waist line is truly astounding," Jo added, a sharp look from Hoskins only serving to wind her up. "I half expected you to jump in and go after that pig yourself Hoskins."

"I'm mesmerized by your wit," he responded flatly, the spittle flying from his mouth betraying his effort to stay calm.

"Well, as honored as I am, mesmerizing you doesn't sound too hard," she added, chewing on a Twizzler, her head tilted to the side as she studied him. "You'd probably be equally as transfixed if someone ran around here with some KFC so…"

The look Hoskins leveled her with needed no words. She smiled brightly back at him. Hoskins must have finally realized he was out of his depths with Jo because he chose to ignore her. His first smart move of the day.

"Come on gents," he continued, ignoring Jo as we all began walking. "It's grown up time. Drones can't search tunnels and caves, and their hackable. The minute a real war breaks out all that fancy tech is gonna go dark."

"Yeah, but that tech isn't gonna eat them if they forget to feed it," I added, exposing a huge flaw in his sales pitch.

"Look, look at these creatures," he said, waving to the girls below who were milling around the paddock. "They've got millions of years of instinct, instinct that we can program. Their loyalty cannot be bought."

He paused dramatically, looking at the girls in a manner which made me want to punch him. The way he was driving this home, refusing to let it go, was a gigantic warning flag. This was what InGen had in mind the whole time. It was the purpose behind funding the raptor research in the first place, and I'd just put them one step closer to their goal.

"These guys are gonna run straight into the enemies teeth, and eat them. Belt buckle and all," he finished, leaning back slightly, obviously proud of himself.

"What if they decide they don't want to be controlled," Barry questioned.

"We terminate the rogues. Promote only loyal bloodlines." Barry simply laughed in response as I whistled in disbelief. "What? What's so funny?"

"Hoskins, you're going to force the medical community to re-evaluate the lower limits on the spectrum for stupid," Jo added, shaking her head as she followed Barry as he walked away.

When I looked at him he was utterly confused by the exchange. Shrugging I told him, "I mean, you come here and don't learn anything about these animals except what you want to know." He shook his head at me, one hand on his hip. "You made them and now you think you own them," I concluded, looking down at my girls.

"We do own them," he stated. Spoken like a person who was truly outside their depths. "Extinct animals have no rights."

"They're not extinct anymore Hoskins." Taking the bucket from one of the workers I turned to leave.

"Exactly, we're sitting on a gold mine, and Masrani is using it to stock a petting zoo," he uttered in outrage.

This guy just didn't know when to quit.

"He just wants to teach people some humility. He doesn't make weapons." At least not intentionally.

Hoskins laughed, "You think the eighth richest man in the world is only into oil, telecom, and family fun parks? He's so diversified he doesn't even know what he owns."

That was not untrue.

Nevertheless, this conversation had passed my tolerance limit about five minutes ago.

"How long has InGen been practicing this pitch?" I tried to keep the disdain out of my voice, I really did, but it was damn near impossible.

"Since the day we hired you out of the Navy," he taunted. "You knew the end game. These animals can replace thousands of troops on the ground. How many lives would that save?"

I quickly entered one of the paddock outer gates, shutting it behind me before I did what Jo had been dying to do since she showed up, and strangled Hoskins. His words were hitting a little too close to home for my liking. I didn't enjoy being a pawn, and I'd be damned if I let InGen turn my girls into some kind of deranged military experiment.

"War is a part of nature," he almost growled at me. "Look around Owen, every living thing in this jungle is trying to murder the other. Mother Nature's way of testing her creation, of defining the pecking order. War is a struggle, struggle breeds greatness, and without that we end up with places like this that charge seven bucks a soda."

Jesus, it was like listening to one of those televangelists on Sunday morning. What's next, exorcising my demons?

"Do you hear yourself when you talk?" I asked in all seriousness. Maybe he'd forgotten to take his meds this morning or something. He smirked at me and I felt my stomach drop.

"This is gonna happen," he promised. "With or without you boys. Progress always wins man."

The only thing I hated more than being a pawn was being threatened.

"Maybe progress should lose for once," I answered.

Someone yelled in the distance alerting everyone that a pig was lose in the paddock. I watched as our newest, and youngest, worker sprinted along the catwalk with a huge control pole that he lowered over the edge of the catwalk. Just as the boy got the cable around the pigs neck one of the raptors came out of nowhere, snatching up the animal in their mouth before bolting towards the foliage.

The momentum of their strike catapulted the boy over the railing, and he landed hard on his back in the middle of the enclosure. His terrified screams only ceasing when he hit the ground with a gut-wrenching thump. The girls immediately turned, honed into the commotion in their space. The four of them immediately started advancing on the prone figure lying immobilized by fear.

Without thinking I sprinted towards the gate that opened into the enclosure. The raptors were only feet from the boy, and his survival instincts finally kicked in as he began scooting away from them, a whimper on his lips. I ran towards the control panel, slamming my palm against the button that would open the gate. As the gate rose agonizingly slow I crouched down beside it, peering into the paddock.

"Owen no!"

"Owen!"

Jo and Barry shouted at the same time, as I crawled on my hands and knees underneath the slow rising gate. Climbing to my feet in a hurry I heard the electronic hum of the weapons aimed directly at the girls by the pair of security personnel positioned directly above me.

"No, no, hold your fire," I instructed them, running forward with my hand up, coming to a skidding stop mere feet from the raptors. "Hold your fire, do not fire. Put 12 amps in these animals and they're never going to trust me again."

I held one hand up in front of me, the other out to the side to show the raptors approaching on my flanks I was aware of their intent. I couldn't see the boy in my peripheral vision anymore, and I kept my fingers crossed he was smart enough to keep moving towards the holding cell.

"Blue," I called out lightly towards my beta in warning. "Stand down. Stand down," I tried again when she didn't comply, my tone firm.

She growled ferociously, lunging forward, her enormous jaw snapping towards me.

"Hey, hey!" I admonished her, anger seeping into my commands. If I was ever going to be their alpha it was right now. It was the only thing that could save my life. "What did I just say? Delta, I see you. Back up," I told her, looking to my side to stop her advance.

She screeched at me in response. "OK, good, good. Charlie, stay right there." I was slowly backing up towards the holding cell, but the girls were taking two steps for every one of mine. Pretty soon I'd be out of space. "Good. Close the gate," I told Barry and Jo, who I knew were in the holding cell.

"Are you crazy?" was Barry's answer, his voice shaky.

"Just trust me," I told him, backing up some more.

I heard Jo tell him, "Do what he says Barry." Her voice was surprising steady to anyone who didn't know her, but I did know her, and I heard the fear. If I made it out of this enclosure my life might still be in danger.

"Close the gate!" the scared paddock worker hollered.

I heard a scuffle, followed by a slapping nose. "Shut your fucking mouth or I'll kill you myself," Jo hissed at him. He was instantly quiet.

Barry mumbled under his breath before I heard him slam down on the button for the door. The gate started slowly cranking closed, a beeping noise repeating throughout the paddock. I kept my hand raised, my eyes glued to Blue until the last possible second.

Turning rapidly I ducked my head, tucking into a roll that carried me under the gate moments before it slammed into the ground. The girls slammed into the gate behind me, snarling and growling in agitation, their jaws snapping through the metal grates. In an instant Jo was beside me, pulling my vest away and looking for any sign of injury.

"Are you alright?" she asked frantically, on her knees beside me. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she continued to inspect me.

"Babe, I'm fine. I'm good," I assured her, grabbing her wrists to stop her inspection. I hauled us both to our feet, using my hand to tip her face up.

"Are you sure?" she asked again, her eyes searching my face. I shook my head at her and expected to see relief on her face, instead I saw rage.

"You asshole!" she yelled, pushing against my chest, but not managing to move me any. She pushed me again, more tears flowing down her gorgeous face as she railed against me, "You stupid, fucking asshole! Don't you ever do something like that again! Do you understand me?"

I put my hands up in surrender as my face softened. "I won't. I pinky promise." Her face instantly crumpled as a sob ripped through her, and I pulled her against me. Her arms wrapped around my neck as mine went around her waist. The adrenaline from the moment now gone all I felt was a numb sensation that left me breathless.

"Why do you always have to be the hero?" she asked, face buried in my neck.

"I believe you were the one holding out for a hero the other day," I joked. She pulled back slightly, raising her eyebrows with disapproval. Kissing her nose I said, "I couldn't leave him there to die."

"I know." She swallowed, pressing her lips to mine briefly. When she pulled back I wiped away the tears from her face. "Let's not make this a habit, alright?"

"Well, since we've both been chased by the girls in the paddock I say we consider this block checked." She glared at me and I laughed, holding up my pinky as I told her, "Deal."

She briefly wrapped her pinky around mine then stepped aside as Barry walked over. He patted me on the shoulder as we exchanged a few word before he turned to leave, making a comment about not getting paid enough for this kind of shit. Laughing at his dramatic exit I turned my attention to the paddock worker who was still sitting shell shocked on the floor.

"You're the new guy right?" He shook his head, looking worse for the wear. "You ever wonder why there was a job opening?"

He stared up at me, the implications of my statement sinking in.

"Don't ever turn you back to the cage," I told him, walking away.

A snarl from behind made him jump as he turned to see one of the girls attempting to wedge into the cell. I grabbed Jo's hand as I walked towards the exit only to stop as I came face-to-face with Hoskins smug face. He smiled knowingly, turning to walk away briskly, his phone already out.

Things had just gone from bad to worse. If Hoskins thought the girls were ready for military applications before he now had indisputable proof of his theory with my little display.

"It's starting," Jo whispered.

Looking at her out of the corner of my eye I saw her tracking Hoskins movements across the parking lot. She had a faraway look in her eyes that made a chill run up my spine.

"Yeah, well, not if I can help it." I squeezed her hand, and she gave me a sad smile in return.

"You know, I heard this saying once that history never repeats itself," she said softly, almost like she was talking to herself. She looked up at me, regret in her eyes. "It's people who repeat history."

I hoped for the sake of everyone on this island she was wrong.

* * *

 **MidnightPenguin: As it just so happens it's very soon :) I'm so happy you read the other stories, and have continued with SOF. It makes it worth it when I hear how much people relate the characters I've created and placed in this crazy world. Hope you enjoy the new chapter and thanks for reading/reviewing!**

 **Momochan77: Here ya go! What do you think? We are getting further and further into the movie world, and I hope everyone likes how Jo is fitting in. Thanks for reading, it means a lot!**

 **Reclun: A beta is a good idea. I try to give each chapter a thorough edit, but life is hectic at the moment and it makes it hard to devote the time I probably should. I've never had a beta so I'm not sure how to go about that, but I like the idea of someone catching those errors. I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so far. Hope you continue to read and review.**

 **jahoney: Thanks! Interweaving Jo into the established movie world is tricky, and I'm trying to be critical about what I change and why. Hope you like how it's developing thus far.**

 **LaurenMarie814: Agree, Owen is drool worthy for sure :) I have been watching Harry Potter with my kids so I have it on the brain, and all the references are just slipping in. I love to hear that you drop everything to read (hope it's nothing important)...I've done that too so to hear someone do it for my story is awesome. I hope you this chapter is worth whatever you drop today!**

 **Gryffindor Rat: I got the "Battle of Balls Deep" from my husband. I swear that man has 1,000 euphemisms for sex, and they all just crack me up. That exchange was actually a conversation we had the other day...LOL! I know you said the paddock scene with Owen was one of your favs, so I'm dying to know how you liked this version. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. That scene was one of my favs too, so I tried to do it justice. Hopefully I succeeded.**

 **Aria2302: I hear you. I'm almost dreading what's coming for her. It won't be easy. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for reading and reviewing.**

 **angelicedg: Want to hear something even funnier, my 6 year-old is the one who told me the phrase "internet famous". More accurately, he told me he was going to be "internet famous" one day. I was horrified, b/c as I said in the story, are anyone other than porn stars internet famous? Crazy! These kids are gonna be the death of me. Well, we are really getting into the movie in this chapter. What did you think? I really loved this scene in the movie so I hope you liked it in the story. As always, thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	7. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 **~ Jo ~**

"You're quiet," Owen said, his hand caressing the exposed skin of my back.

"Hmm?" I asked, lifting my head off his chest slightly, looking up at him.

"I said you're awfully quiet. What's wrong?"

Talk about a loaded question. What wasn't wrong?

After Owen's incredibly close call we'd left the paddock and come straight home, no one questioning our departure. As it turns out almost dying earns you some undisputed time off. I'd driven home, following behind Owen in a daze, unable to remember the journey. We hadn't taken more than a few steps through the door before we were wrapped in each others arms, slowly making our way towards the bedroom as we left a trail of clothes in our wake. The overwhelming need to reassure ourselves that everything was alright, that he was alive and unharmed the only sensation that registered.

It wasn't until later, when we were laying together, our limbs still tangled and our bodies flushed, that I let myself feel. It was a mistake. The second I lowered the barriers in my mind I was bombarded with so many emotions it sucked the air right out of my lungs. My mind refused to stop replaying the scene from the paddock over and over again.

My life was a series of horrific situations followed by tragic conclusions, all hard to process and definitely enough fuel to keep Dr. Price busy for a lifetime, but I dealt with them. Not well, mind you, but I was getting better at sharing and caring with my diary so there was that.

What I'd stood witness to today threatened to undo me.

When Owen had rushed into the paddock I'd felt true terror engulf my body like flames in a raging inferno. Watching him face down four Velociraptors with only words as his protection had been the worst kind of torture. Knowing I might be forced to watch the man I love ripped to shred before my very eyes with no way to stop it was my own personal Hell.

When I'd met Owen I never dreamed he'd become my lifeline. The mere notion of my life without him was laughable. I'd become one of those people so tangled up in a relationship that I didn't know where I ended and he began. It should horrify me, it should definitely make me nervous, but instead it brought me comfort.

Go figure.

There was no going back now; he was a permanent fixture in my soul. He'd made me believe, for the first time in my life, that I was worth it. That I mattered simply because he loved me. For most of my life I'd felt all but invisible, steeped in the firm knowledge that no one would miss me if I were gone. Owen changed that. He taught me to love, helped me heal, and gave me the thing I'd craved since I was a girl…a family.

And today I'd almost lost him.

Unable to swallow the lump in my throat or hold his eyes any longer I took the coward's way out, resting my head on his chest. There were a million things I wanted to say…needed to say, but I couldn't spit them out.

I was choking on silence, and it was killing me.

He deserved to hear me tell him all the things I felt in my heart, but old habits die hard. Before Owen I believed relationships were only good for breaking things: hearts, promises, and for those unlucky few, condoms. I was trying to leave my fears where they belonged, in my past, but I was still holding back.

The worst part was he knew it, but he didn't care. He never once demanded anything I couldn't give him. The shame of his blind acceptance was all the proof I needed that I didn't deserve him. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath. He deserved better and I would try my hardest to give it to him. I couldn't let another minute tick by without telling this man that he was my everything.

I sat up quickly, tucking my hair behind my ears, my nerves frayed. Owen raised his eyebrows, but stayed silent.

"Today, when you rushed into the paddock," I paused, licking my lips to buy some time so I could gather my erratic thoughts. "I've never been so scared."

I exhaled harshly, dropping my hands, the weight of the confession making it hard to look up. When he didn't respond right away I chanced a look at his face and immediately wanted to slap him. His eyes were trained on my chest, his mouth slightly ajar, a small amount of drool pooling in the corner of his mouth. Glancing down at my bare breasts I rolled my eyes. Boobs were scientific proof men were able to focus on two things at once, but how much cognitive brain function was left over after that was anyone's guess. Reaching towards the floor I snatched up a tank top, pulling it on hastily.

As soon as my boobs were covered Owen blinked, his eyes refocusing as he cleared his throat. "Did you say something?"

Shaking my head I asked him, "I'm honestly surprised you make it through the day sometimes. Seriously, what percentage of decisions do you make with the wrong head?"

He moved so quickly I didn't have time to mount a defense. One minute he was lying lazily in front of me, his eyes sleepy and lustful, the next he was hovering over the top of me, his body pinning me to the mattress.

"Well that depends," he whispered, pressing into me.

"On?" I was rapidly forgetting the point of this conversation. There was a direct correlation between my ability to think and Owen's proximity. Right now I was lucky I remembered how to convert oxygen to carbon dioxide.

"On whether or not your boobs are bouncing in front of my face."

"My boobs were not bouncing in front of your face," I scoffed. "I raised my arm like an inch, that would hardly create any bouncing."

Never in my life would I believe I would be having this conversation.

"They were jiggling a little," he laughed, smothering my reply in a kiss before pulling back and asking, "Seriously, what were you saying?"

Before I could open my mouth to answer him my phone rang, For the Love of Money by The O'Jays booming from the nightstand. Owen and I looked at each other then at the phone.

"I say we let voicemail handle it," I offered, unwilling to rejoin the real world just yet. I mean, who could really blame me? I currently had 6'3" inches of solid, muscled, raptor trainer on top of me. I would bet my salary that not one woman on this island would move an inch even the bungalow caught fire, and probably a few men.

"You're awfully optimistic," Owen replied as I wrapped my arms around his neck. The ringing cut off just as his tongue swept out, brushing across my lips. I moaned, opening my mouth to him as I locked my legs around his waist. Just when things were starting to get interesting my phone rang again.

"Jesus, Simon is a freaking cock blocker," I whined, my head falling back. Owen laughed, rolling off me and sitting up.

"Might as well get it over with." He was already making his way into the bathroom. My mouth got a little dry watching him walk around the room in all his naked glory. It should be illegal to look that sexy. Sighing dramatically I heaved myself up, grabbing my phone off the nightstand with irritation.

"Do you have some kind of internal sensor that lets you know when the worst possible time to call is?" I barked into the phone.

"No, its simply a gift," Simon retorted, not sounding the least bit offended.

"I hate you sometimes." Like when you interrupt sexy time.

"Shockingly you aren't the first person to tell me that." No kidding, I bet I wasn't even the first person to tell him that _today_. "While I normally wouldn't bother you two, especially after what happened, I thought I should let you know Claire is on her way over."

"Claire who?"

"Claire Dearing." He said it like that should explain everything.

I glanced briefly at the closed bathroom door trying to figure out why in the world Simon would send Claire to our house. Was he trying to start World War III?

"I guess you felt like one near death experience wasn't sufficient for the day?"

Claire and Owen didn't hate each other per say, it was more like they had a hard time existing around each other without physical violence. Sure, there was some dislike between them, but if they could just get their weirdness in sync I thought they had a shot at friendship.

OK, so that was pushing it.

Realistically, they had a shot at being distance acquaintances (who sometimes tried to main each other), but that would be better than the present scenario. They kinda had a brother, sister vibe going, but the fact they'd gone on a date just made that theory creepy. Last I checked this wasn't West Virginia.

"She's going to read him into the I-Rex program," he stated bluntly.

Sitting up straighter, I pressed the phone closer to my ear. "What? Why?"

My stomach tightened, and I felt a headache start building behind my eyes. Not that I wasn't thrilled Owen would "officially" be informed about the biggest mistake on the island, but the timing made no sense. Why now? A chill raced over my skin causing goose bumps to break out on my arms and legs. I had all kinds of bad feelings about this.

"I've asked Claire to bring him to the paddock. I would like his assessment of it before we move forward. We're weeks away from unveiling her to the public, and I want to make sure we have our basis covered."

I'm sorry, what?

You can't bullshit a bullshitter, and that lame ass answer made zero sense.

I could admit Owen was one of the few people on the island qualified to assess the paddock, but so was I and I'd already done that…about 1,000 times.

"Are you still there?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" I shot back, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "I tend to go deaf when I hear bullshit."

Simon sighed on the other end of the phone. "It isn't that I don't trust your evaluation of the paddock, but I feel it could be useful to have someone with fresh eyes take a look." Yeah, still not buying it. "Plus, we can all stop pretending like he doesn't already know," Simon finished.

The bathroom door opened, a cloud of steam following Owen as he walked towards the closet, the towel wrapped around his waist seemingly defying the laws of physics. I watched transfixed as tiny droplets of water trailed down his chest slowly, traversing every ripple of his abs before disappearing completely beneath his towel. I've never wanted to be a water droplet more in my life than I did at this very moment. I swear my brain was going to explode from sensory overload.

"I don't know…" I started, struggling to sling coherent words together in order to deny his accusation, but he cut me off.

"Jo, please don't insult my intelligence or yours," he interrupted, "I think we both know Owen has known about the I-Rex for as long as you have."

This was about the time a smart person would take the 5th to avoid self-incrimination.

No one had ever accused me of being smart.

"Why make it official now? What's changed?" While I hadn't confirmed his accusation I also hadn't denied it. I'd been on Simon for a year to bring Owen into the project once I realized he wasn't willing to drop a nuke on the hybrid. While almost everyone on the island knew "something" was being unveiled in a few weeks only a very limited group of people were privy to the actual details. Even fewer still had ever laid eyes on her.

"I went out there today," he started before pausing for so long I looked at my phone to see if we'd been disconnected. "When I saw her…" he trailed off.

I could hear the fear in his voice. I recognized it instantly because I felt the same thing each and every time I laid eyes on that monster. Everyone working on the I-Rex project was subjected to a state of perpetual fear that followed us around like our own personal rain cloud. That thing was a definite Debby Downer.

"Simon, it's not too late. You don't have to do this," I pleaded. Owen was now dressed and standing silently by the door, his eyes focused on me.

I couldn't explain it, but I felt like this was my last chance. Somehow I knew that everything I'd been fighting against was rapidly approaching like a speeding train. We were at a crossroads, and I was out of time.

"It's already done," Simon stated, reverting back to his "business voice", leaving no room for argument. "There's no going back now. I want you to go with Claire when she takes Owen to the paddock. We're missing something and I want it figured out before we expose the public to that thing."

That "thing".

Good choice of words.

Simon took one look at the I-Rex and realized it was no mere dinosaur. That "thing" was the bringer of death, plain and simple.

"Yeah, OK," I answered.

"Be careful," he told me, hanging up without another word. My hand dropped into my lap as my eyes found Owen's.

"This can't be good," he stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Claire's on her way over."

"Claire who?" My lips twitched at his bewildered expression. It was like déjà vu.

"Claire Dearing."

"What did I do now?" he questioned, eyeing me carefully.

I stood up, making my way towards the bathroom. If Simon sent Claire on a mission to our house the smart money said she'd be here any minute. That woman took her work seriously, even when it involved making house calls to one of her least favorite people.

"She's been given clearance to bring you onto the I-Rex project," I answered plainly, giving him a minute to absorb the implications. "Simon wants us out at the paddock, today."

Owen licked his lips, his forehead scrunched up in thought. "This isn't going to end well."

I snorted. "No shit."

After I showered and dressed I found Owen outside sitting on an old bucket fixing his motorcycle, a beer at his feet. This was his "thinking position". He didn't hear me shut the door or make my way over to him, which spoke volume about his state of mind. Owen had the ears of a bat so I knew his mind was far away when the first time he noticed me was when I dropped into a lawn chair next to him. He gave me a tight smile before returning his attention to the bike, taking a slow pull from his beer.

That feeling was back, the one that had been lingering in the back of my mind for months. It was the same feeling you get when you are sick and you knew puking was in your immediate future. Twisting my hands in my lap I looked out towards the ocean, watching the waves crash on the shore in perfect synchronization. The repetitive nature would almost be soothing if I could block out sickening feeling in my stomach.

How was it possible this place was equal parts dream and nightmare?

"Everything's going to be alright," Owen stated, interrupting my gloomy thoughts.

"I know." I didn't know that, but I didn't know what else to say. I had lobbied for months for Owen's involvement, and now that it was official I didn't want Owen within 100 miles of that paddock. Worse still, within the hour he'd be within spiting distance. Oh yeah, I was going to puke. "Promise me something?" I asked, my voice timid to my own ears.

He stopped fiddling on his bike, giving me his undivided attention. I stared at his handsome face, memorizing every detail, steeling myself for what was to come.

"No matter what happens today, promise me that if you have the chance to save yourself you'll take it."

"Jo, what…" he began, confused by my request.

Shaking my head I stopped his questions, "Just promise me. If it comes down to it, if you have to make a choice between yourself and someone else, promise me you'll choose yourself." Even if the someone else was _me_ , I silently added in my head.

The last part came out a whisper; so quiet that if he wasn't wearing a stunned expression I would have thought he didn't hear me. Slowly, our eyes locked on each other, understanding dawning on his face. He rapidly started shaking his head, anger replacing confusion.

"No," he said simply, sheer determination the only emotion I could decipher. "Nothing is going to happen. Do you hear me? You and I will be fine. Everyone will be fine."

I didn't know who he was trying to convince with his statement, me or himself?

Unable to hold his intense gaze I dropped my eyes. "I want to believe that too, but I just…don't. I can't explain it, but I have a bad feeling about today. Promise me," I pleaded.

He sighed, running his hands through his hair. I wasn't sure he was going to answer, but then he said, "Only if you promise me the same thing. Promise me you won't take any unnecessary risks with your life."

Dragging my eyes back to his I swallowed thickly. "I promise," I told him.

He studied me carefully, looking for any indication I wasn't being truthful before nodding once, satisfied. "Me too," he replied, winking at me to lighten the mood before turning his attention back to the bike.

I tried not to feel guilty about crossing my fingers behind my back. It was juvenile to think that made the blatant lie I'd just told OK, but the truth was I'd do just about anything to ensure Owen's safety, even if it meant putting my own life on the line. As I watched him work on his bike my heart ached. I'd lied to him, and I wasn't sure he'd forgive me for it.

Owen hadn't asked for a lot from me, but the truth was something he expected. Until this moment I'd never had a problem giving it to him. I could only hope that he could find a way to understand when this was all over. It hadn't escaped my attention that if things progressed the way I feared I might not be around to deal with his wrath when it was all said and done. The thought was as sobering as it was sad.

About ten minutes later Claire's silver SUV pulled up alongside our house. She quickly got out, but stopped immediately to fix her hair in the cars tinted windows. She was dressed head to toe in white with a stylish jacket draped over her shoulders. She looked ready to take over Wall Street not escort us to an animal paddock.

How did she manage to keep that outfit clean?

Owen raised his eyebrows at me and I shrugged in response to his unspoken question, Claire's abilities were outside my wheelhouse. I had a hard time not spilling mustard on my shirt when I ate a hotdog.

She slowly made her way towards us, careful with each step as her heels sank into the soft ground.

"Mr. Grady, I need you to take a look at something," Claire started, stopping a good five feet from us. The whole thing was so uncomfortable I was tempted to pretend to text on my phone just so I would have something to do other than stew in this awkwardness.

"Why are you calling me Mr. Grady?" Owen asked, clearly confused at her approach.

"Feel free to address me as Ms. King if you want," I offered. "It's got a nice ring to it." Claire's eyes slide to mine as she pursed her lips before looking back towards Owen.

"Owen," she amended. "And I need you to come too Jo, if you aren't too busy."

She emphasized my name then looked around our house as if to insinuate we clearly should have time considering we were doing, nothing. She wasn't wrong. It was the middle of the work day and all we'd accomplished so far was Owen almost getting eaten by raptors, mid-morning sex, followed by a few beers. I mean, it was a successful day in my book, but something told me Claire set her bar a little higher.

"I'm pretty busy," Owen answered, taking a swig of beer. I adjusted my sunglasses, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"We have an attraction," Claire began before Owen cut her off.

"That's not what you said the last time I saw you." Claire's eyes widened in shock, her head swinging to me.

"Really? In front of your girlfriend?" she scolded Owen who just smirked. God he was an asshole sometimes, it made me smile. Only a fellow asshole can appreciate the true asshole in someone else.

"Alright, alright, fighters to your corners," I said, standing up. "Claire, why don't you tell us what brought you to our humble abode."

"I'm here to talk about the dinosaurs," she said plainly, pinning Owen with a scathing glare. "A new species we've made actually."

Owen considered her words then turned and walked towards his workbench. "You just went and made a new dinosaur?"

"Can we not do this?" Claire asked.

"Do what?" he asked.

"Pretend like you don't know about the I-Rex," she clarified, looking over to me. "I think it would save us all time if you just admit you know about the hybrid and get in the car."

I put my hands up, shrugging. "I would never," I told her in mock outrage. She raised her eyebrows, putting her hands on her hips. "OK, so maybe I would."

"Anyways, the exhibit opens to the public in three weeks, and Mr. Masrani wants you to consult on the paddock. We'd like you to evaluate it for vulnerabilities."

"Why me?" he called out, climbing the stairs and making his way into his shed.

Claire looked at me, "Are you going to help me with this?"

"Help you with what? Convincing him to visit the Grim Reaper? I don't think so." OK, so I was being difficult, but could she blame me? This was a pretty big ask.

She glared at me. "He doesn't listen to anyone but you. Can't you just…make him do it?"

I choked on a laugh. "Make him do it?" I repeated, my hands on my knees as I shook with laughter. "How, might I ask, would you propose I go about that?"

"You could…you know…" she stuttered, her face the picture of embarrassment.

"Claire, I'm good, but I don't have a magical vagina. I can't _make_ him do anything."

"Oh my god," she replied, her face scrunching up in disgust. "I did not…that was just…ever heard of oversharing Jo?"

"That's not oversharing, that's a fact. Oversharing would be telling you how he does this thing with…"

"Stop!" she yelled, using her hands as earmuffs. I wasn't even trying to contain my laughter now.

"I'm kidding." I really wasn't, but I didn't think Claire was ready to hear the truth. I decided to take mercy on the poor girl. "Owen, hurry up! We gotta go see Freddy Krueger!" I called out.

He appeared from around the corner, holding tools I couldn't identify if my life depended on it. How many power tools did one man need? His shed was stocked better than a Home Depot. Too bad I wasn't allowed to touch any of them. Something about him needing to update his life insurance plan first. He was such a drama queen sometimes.

"You do realize if Jo's been to the paddock to evaluate it for vulnerabilities then there isn't much I can tell you," he told Claire. "She's the best at what she does. I suggest you take her recommendations seriously."

I barely resisted the urge to puff out my chest at his compliments. I was not able to keep my heart from swelling.

"Be that as it may, Mr. Masrani feels like your ability to control the raptors might offer some insight."

"See, it's all about control with you," he said, walking past her down the steps. Oh, shit. Here it comes. He's going to bring up the date. "It's a relationship. It's based on mutual respect."

It was also based on the fact he was the only person they wouldn't eat on sight.

"OK, can we just, focus on the asset please," Claire said, her patience wearing thin.

"The asset?" I spoke up. "The asset?"

"Jo, please," Claire almost whined.

"Why is it OK for you to call it the asset, but I get my ass handed to me when I use my name for it?" My hands were on my hips as I waited for her answer.

"Well, for starters my name for it isn't the 'biggest fucking mistake in Jurassic World history'," she started, her hands raised in exasperation as she made air quotes. I didn't know what was more amusing, listening to Claire cuss or watching her blush while doing it. "And, I didn't announce it on the intercom at headquarters for the world to hear."

"Those are both solid points," I said, turning to look at Owen who was wearing a shit eating grin.

He walked over to me, placing his hand at the small of my back. "I'll take it from here babe," he said, winking at me briefly before turning to Claire. "Look, I get it, you're in charge out here and you gotta make a lot of tough decisions. It's probably easier to pretend these animals are just numbers on a spreadsheet, but they're not. They're alive."

OK, so as far as points go he had a valid one, but for the life of me I didn't know where he was going with this one.

Apparently neither did Claire as she looked at him like he was mentally impaired.

"I'm fully aware they're alive," she responded, still unsure of his point.

"You might have made them in a test tube, but they don't know that," Owen continued, riding away on his soapbox. Claire looked at me for help and I could only shrug. I got nothing. "They're thinking, I gotta eat. I gotta hunt. I gotta…"

Owen punctuated the ending by pumping his fist in the air for effect. I snorted, shaking my head in amusement as Claire closed her eyes, breathing heavily and muttering under her breath.

"You can relate to at least one of those things, right?" Owen asked sarcastically. For a brief second I thought he was going to be able to keep a straight face, but then he busted out laughing as Claire pinned him with a look that clearly said, "I hate you", that expression would have most people running for cover. Too bad for her Owen wasn't most people.

"I'll be in the car. If you two wouldn't mind hurrying up so we can get this over with that would be great." She sauntered off, her shoulders stiff and back ramrod straight. Oh, she was pissed all right.

"That was mean," I told Owen, coming to stand next to him. He shrugged, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

"She'll be fine," he said, walking to the table and putting all his tools down. "You ready for this?"

I looked towards him, considering his question. It was impossible to be ready for the unknown, but that was the hand we'd been dealt. No matter what we faced I knew it would require me to unleash a part of myself I'd long since tucked away. To the outside world I appeared somewhat well adjusted, especially considering my sketchy upbringing, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.

The good news was the one thing I excelled at was bringing the crazy, and if anything threatened those I'd come to love I would break out a level of crazy that would make their nightmares seem like a happy place.

The feelings swirling inside me were confusing to say the least. I hadn't felt many of them since my last deployment. The thought terrified me because I knew first hand the cost of war. It wasn't a mistress that could never be ignored. Unfortunately war was exactly what we were diving into.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I told him as I walked directly into the oncoming storm.

* * *

 **jahoney: Thanks! I'm trying to seamlessly weave Jo in while keeping everyone in character so I'm happy to know I pulled it off in that chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing!  
**

 **Gryffindor Rat: Thanks! I loved that scene in the movie, and really felt like seeing it through Owen's eyes would be a great opportunity to expand on it. I think you are right about Jo, she wouldn't fall down weeping, but something like that would definitely shake her up. I'm glad you think she reacted "in character" for her. To answer your question, I'm going to mainly stick with cannon. There might be slight differences here or there, but for the most part it's going to stick close with Jo woven in. I thought about making big changes, but decided against it for a few different reasons. Thanks for reading and reviewing...it makes this all worth it (especially when I should probably be working, LOL)**

 **Momochan77: Thanks! I love them too, and I think she's fitting in pretty good. I hope she continues to be an addition to the story and not a liability. Thanks for much for reading and reviewing. Hopefully you liked this chapter :)**

 **MidnightPenguin: I liked that part too...I think Jo would have gone from terrified, to concerned, to downright livid once she realized he was OK. I'm happy you liked her reaction, it was fun to write. Hope you liked this chapter as well, thanks for reading/reviewing!**

 **LaurenMarie814: I'm gonna be honest...I LOVE YOUR REACTION! I have done that 1,000 times with other people's stories or books, and to have someone doing it with mine makes me do a little happy dance in my kitchen. For real, my kids are laughing about it right now. Anyways, I loved this scene too and wanted to do it justice. I'm glad you think I came through. Hearing how you like the story, the characters...it's great. It's better than great, but it's hard to put into words. Basically, thank you!**

 **angelicedg: Welcome back friend! Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked Owen's portrayal in the chapter, and Jo's reaction to witnessing it. I thought this was a key chapter b/c it was one of our first "big" chapters that straddles the movie-verse. As always, thank you so much for being so dedicated to these stories and taking the time to review!**

 **Reclun: Love the reaction (insert heart emoticon here). I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter, and hope this one lives up to the hype as well. The beta thing is a great idea, and actually my husband has offered a few times to review it prior to posting, but his grammar and spelling is beyond awful so I politely declined (shhh, don't tell him I said that). I appreciate the info and will look into it. Thanks for reading and reviewing, hope you like this chapter.**

 **Aria2302: Don't feel bad for skimming, I do that ALL the time, and then I go back and slowly devour it again. Totally normal and I love how excited you were to read it. I'm glad you liked it, I worked hard on it, and kinda agonized over every little detail since it was such a pivotal scene in the movie. I'll be honest, I'm not sure Hoskins is gonna make it either ;) Thanks for reading and reviewing...hope you skim this one then come back and read again slowly, LOL!**


	8. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 **~ Owen ~**

The past 20 minutes in Claire's car had taught me two things.

One, women's minds were far and away dirtier than men's.

Two, there were some things that should just remain a mystery.

Being confined to the car while Jo and Claire gossiped away in the front seat was the equivalent of being in high school and getting a sneak peak into the girl's locker room. The intrigue provided the motivation to peak behind the curtain, I mean, let's be honest, what teenage boy wouldn't want to look in a locker room? The reality, however, was not living up to the hype.

The problem here boiled down to expectation.

When you looked into the locker room you expected to see sexy, half-naked woman massaging each other in barely there towels, or having pillow fights while they resisted the urge to make out with each other. At least that was the image I'd conjured in my mind back in the day. What you ended up witnessing were a bunch of man hating, foul-mouthed, fully clothed woman whose minds were in the gutter (and then some).

This was precisely why you should never peak behind the curtain, ever. I'd never felt more objectified than I did at the moment. I mean, we're people, not pieces of meat.

"Please tell me you didn't bring an itinerary," Jo grumbled, eyeing Claire who shifted uncomfortably in the driver's seat, her hands planted firmly at ten and two. "Oh my god, you did, didn't you?"

Claire glanced at me in the rearview mirror, her eyes narrowing slightly when I smirked back at her.

"We should talk about this later," she told Jo, not so subtly gesturing towards me. Jo's eyebrows furrowed, and she turned around briefly to look at me, she was surprised to see me sitting back here. She'd clearly forgotten about me altogether.

"Don't worry about him." Great, now not only was I a piece of meat good for only one thing, I was also invisible. "Just pretend like he's not here. He won't say anything. You don't talk about what happens in the SUV."

"Like fight club," I interjected. Jo rolled her eyes, looking at me expectantly. I put my fingers to my lips, pretending to lock them with an imaginary key before tossing it over my shoulder. Now it was Claire's turn to roll her eyes.

"Well, I thought it would be a good idea. You know, something to keep us on track, maybe even a conversation starter," Claire asserted, defending her choice to bring another itinerary on a date. Jo groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"What did Ed say when you pulled it out?"

"Who's Ed?" I asked, leaning forward in-between their two seats.

"Shh," Jo scolded, swatting my face away as she looked to Claire, completely ignoring my question.

Claire tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, plainly uncomfortable with girl talk in the presence of a man. Blowing out a puff of air I sat back in the seat, looking out the window. How long did it take to get to this paddock? Where was it located, Mars?

"He thought it was adorable," Claire answered.

"Really?" Jo asked, shock written all over her face. I was with her on this one. Ed must be all kinds of weird to enjoy one of Claire's itinerary dates. To each his own I guess.

"Yes really," Claire snapped.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," she backtracked. "It's just…surprising, but that's great. You two sound perfect for each other. I knew you would hit it off."

"We had a wonderful evening. I really like him."

Jo squealed in the passenger seat, clapping her hands with joy. "That's great Claire! I'm so happy for you. So tell me, how did the date end?"

Oh kill me now. If they started talking specifics I was liable to open the door and throw myself out of the car.

"What do you mean, how did it end?" Claire asked, glancing over at Jo.

Jo shifted in her seat, turning to face her. "I mean, did you let him park his car in your garage?"

That's it, I was outta here.

I pulled on the door handle, but the thing didn't budge. Freaking child proof locks.

Claire gasped, turning a shade of red that matched her hair color. It made me seriously worried for her health.

"Jo!" she admonished. "It was our first date. I'm...I'm not like that."

"Not like what? A slut?" Poor Claire, she had no idea what she had unleashed. Jo was about as subtle as a flying brick. "Honey, it's the 21st Century. We've burned our bras, got the right to vote, we can be President for crying out loud. I think it's OK to get serviced on the first date if you feel the occasion calls for it."

"I 100% agree," I chimed in.

"Of course you do," Claire glared at me. And just like that, we were back to man hating. "Be that as it may we didn't do…that."

For heaven's sake she couldn't even say the word sex. I'd never met a woman as uptight as Claire Dearing. If anyone needed to put their heels to the sky for a night it was her.

"Well, did you at least kiss? Cop a feel?" Jo asked. "Ed's got a great ass."

"Uh, hello, I'm sitting right here," I told her, not enjoying her assessment of Ed, or his ass, one bit.

She turned around to look at me, her lips curved in a devious smile. "You're a very pretty girl Owen," she winked at me. "And you have the ass of a 20 year-old."

"Thank you."

"Back to Ed," Jo continued, turning back to Claire.

"What?"

"We've already established you kept your virtue intact, but he kissed you, right?"

Claire's eyes remained locked on the road, her knuckles almost white from gripping the steering wheel so hard.

"Claire?" Jo prompted.

"We didn't kiss," she admitted. "I wanted him to, but it didn't happen. We were talking the entire walk to my door, and I put out all the signs that I wouldn't stop him if he tried, but he didn't try. He gave me a hug instead, and asked if he could see me again."

"He gave you a hug?" I asked, shifted forward in my seat again.

"Well, yeah, I thought it was sweet," she said, defending Ed's boring end to their night. "Is that bad?"

"No."

"Yes."

Jo and I answered at the same time. Jo whirled around, sending me a look that told me to shut my mouth or I wouldn't be parking my car in her garage anytime soon.

"It's not bad, it's just…" she started, having a hard time coming up with the right word.

"Lame," I finished for her.

"He's not lame. He's sensitive, interesting…" Claire started.

I cut her off, "Gay?"

"Stop," Jo told me as Claire sent me a scathing look in the mirror. "Ed's not gay and there's nothing wrong with him not kissing you per say, it's just, you might have to be a little more aggressive. He seems like a guy who needs you to spell it out for him."

"I thought I was, but he just kept talking," Claire whined.

"Claire, men are like babies, the only sure fire way to shut them up is to shove your boobs in their face," Jo explained as I nodded along with her assessment.

Truer words were never spoken.

"What?" Claire sounded equal parts outraged and embarrassed. "I can't do that. Besides, Ed doesn't think like that."

"Sweetie, he's a guy. Believe me, he's thought about sucking on your tits."

"Jo!" Claire yelled, the car jerking violently to the left as she tried to right the vehicle before we plowed into a tree. I laughed from the backseat. "What are you laughing at?"

"Claire, men are simple. You don't need to wonder what's going on in his head, it's one of two things, he's either thinking about sex or he's hungry. Those are the only two options."

"It's the power of the P," Jo agreed. Claire groaned not looking at either of us, mumbling under her breath.

"So, you're saying he only wants to have sex with me?" The way she stumbled over the word 'sex' told me how hard it was for her to say out loud in mixed company.

"Or get a burger," Jo spoke up as Claire sent her a withering look. Jo put her hands in surrender, "Just kidding."

Coming to Jo's rescue I leaned forward slightly telling her, "No, I'm not saying he _only_ wants to have sex with you. It sounds to me like he genuinely likes you, and you guy's have a lot in common." Like being anal retentive and obsessive compulsive. "But he's still a guy so he's thought about having sex with you, trust me."

Then probably getting a burger afterwards.

She was quiet as she considered my words. I felt like Dr. Phil.

"So what do I do? We have a date later this week?"

"You don't have to do anything other than be yourself," Jo started, "You're great and Ed obviously thinks so too. Just don't be afraid to make the first move at the end of the night."

"You mean like leaning in 90% of the way and let him come the other 10%?"

"What? No. This isn't the movie Hitch and you're not Will Smith," Jo admonished. "I mean drag him into your apartment and jump on him."

I buried my hands in my head, my shoulders shaking with uncontrolled laughter. God I loved this woman.

"I don't know if I can do something like that."

"Of course you can. You're a confident, successful, gorgeous woman. If you can run this entire park single-handedly surely you can throw Ed down on your bed, and take him for a test drive," Jo instructed. This was one of the best pep talks I'd ever heard, not to mention the best ending to a date ever. She should look into being a motivational speaker.

Claire turned off the narrow jungle road, the dense trees thinning out slowly. I could see the enormous concrete paddock in the distance; we were finally here, thank god. I didn't know how much more girl talk I could stomach.

"I'll just see how it goes," Claire responded noncommittally, pulling into a parking spot and shutting off the engine.

"At the very least you better stick your tongue in his mouth," Jo threatened, climbing out of the vehicle without waiting for a reply.

The ominous atmosphere at the paddock pulled all three of us back into business mode within seconds. We followed behind Claire as she walked towards a set of metal stairs on the side of the structure. My eyes scanning the parking lot as workers darted back and forth, hard at work with in their daily efforts. I estimated the walls of the paddock to be around 40 feet high, at least double what I had for the raptors. This thing must be huge if the size of the walls and the sheer number of reinforcements being added to the paddock was any indication.

"We've been pre-booking tickets for months. The park needs a new attraction every few year to reinvigorate the public's interest, kinda like the space program," Claire explained. I glanced to Jo who shook her head, telling me not to even bother with the fucked up logic. "Corporate felt genetic modification would up the wow factor."

"Corporate also thought putting Jo on live TV was a good idea," I pointed out. Jo backhanded my shoulder, raising her eyebrows in question. I smiled at her before continuing, "Seriously though, they're dinosaurs. Wow, enough."

I wished it was that simple.

"Not according to our focus groups. The Indominous Rex makes us relevant again," Claire continued with her sales pitch.

"The Indominous Rex," I laughed. Even after all these months I couldn't say the stupid name with a straight face. Who comes up with this shit?

"I swear it gets more asinine every time I hear it," Jo interjected, pulling a bag of Twizzlers out of her cargo pocket.

"We needed something scary and easy to pronounce. You should year a 4 year-old try to say Archaeornithomimus," Claire explained, spinning on her heel to face us at the top of the stairs.

"Gesundheit," Jo joked, chomping on a Twizzler.

"Do you two take anything seriously?" Claire asked us.

"Well, you should hear yourself say that. It's a little ridiculous. How can you say it with a straight face? Practice?" I smirked at her which only served to wind her up more.

"Listen, everyone knows Jo told you about the Indominous Rex months ago so the name shouldn't be a surprise. Can we skip all the formalities, pretend like I already laughed at all your jokes, and just get to the part where you take a look at the paddock? I have other things I need to get done today."

"Like sitting on Ed's face?" Jo asked as Claire's eyes narrowed on her, promising pain if she continued down that path. "Don't look at me like that, you know you want to, and for the record, words hurt Claire," she finished, walking past us through the door with a mock expression of sadness on her face.

"Sometimes I don't know why we're friends," Claire said to no one in particular, following Jo inside.

Claire was right about one thing, I'd known about the I-Rex even before her, but this was the first time I'd set foot at the paddock. Hearing about the program was one thing. Seeing it firsthand was an entirely different animal. The scale, the scope, the entire thing was outlandish. I didn't understand management's need to do this. If the public wanted "wow" let them find it somewhere else. What they were attempting to do here was downright suicidal in my book.

I followed Claire inside watching as she walked right up to the panel windows, typing away on a touchscreen as Jo settled against the back wall, one foot propped up. Her normally carefree expression turning more and more serious the longer she was in the room. This place held a lot of memories for her, and none of them were particularly good.

Glancing at her she shook her head, choosing to remain planted against the wall, silent for now. I made my way towards the floor to ceiling window at the front of the room, gazing out at the expansive paddock before me. Per the norm, Simon had spared no expense creating the home for the I-Rex. Huge, mature trees and underbrush littered the area to the point I couldn't find the dinosaur anywhere.

"So, what's this thing made of?" I knew I had a better chance of figuring out who killed Kennedy than getting the specific genetic information from Claire, but it was worth a shot.

She hesitated, smoothing down her hair, one of her nervous tics, before answering, "The base genome is a T-Rex. The rest is…classified."

"What she means is, she doesn't know?" Jo spoke up from her spot on the wall. I knew _we_ didn't know what she was made out of, but I had always just assumed that someone in Claire's position within the company would be privy to the information. This situation just kept getting worse and worse all the time.

"You made a new dinosaur and you don't even know what it is?"

Claire glared at me. "The lab delivers us finished assets and we show them to public. Can we drop a steer please?"

"Nick, hold on," Jo spoke up, "That isn't a good idea Claire."

"Why not? I brought him here to assess the paddock and the asset. That's hard to do if he never sees it."

"You know why," Jo told Claire with a hard look on her face. If I hadn't been looking for it I might have missed it, but the twitch in her jaw and tensing of her shoulders told me she was scared. The tells were gone almost as quickly as they had appeared, but I saw them nonetheless.

Claire was an excellent manager of things, but it was the one-on-one where she needed some work. She'd obviously forgotten that the night Jo had almost died last year had all started right here, when a worker was nearly killed during a feeding. The day hadn't exactly gotten any better from there.

"Jo, this has to be done," Claire told her simply. When Jo didn't respond I turned around to look at her, but her eyes were glued to the floor, her body rigid with tension.

"The steer please." The paddock supervisor, Nick, clicked a few buttons as I returned my attention back to the paddock.

"How long has the animal been in here?"

"All its life."

"It's never seen anything outside of these walls?" I was fairly certain I already knew the answer, but I'd discovered over my time working at Jurassic World that nothing was ever as simple as it appeared. Maybe there were things even Jo wasn't privy to.

"We can't exactly walk it," Claire quipped with sarcasm.

I watched a huge crane with a butchered steer being lowered directly in front of the window. I already knew this was how they fed animal; it had been Jo's idea.

"And you feed it with that?" It was the safest option given the history of the I-Rex, but this entire scenario was an animal behaviorist's worst nightmare. This was exactly how you engineered a killer.

"Is there a problem? This was your girlfriends idea?" Claire was losing her patience, her tone defensive.

"I'm aware of that, but animals raised in isolation aren't always the most functional."

"That's exactly what Jo said." I looked over to Claire, but her gaze was focused on Jo who remained uncharacteristically silent. I understood her reluctance to interject with her opinion. She'd said all this before, multiple times, and no one had listened. She was keeping her mouth shut to hammer home the point that her view wasn't the minority when it came to the I-Rex. Out of everyone on this island the two of us were the only one's qualified to really understand the depths of what was happening here. She wanted Claire to see this for what it was, a disaster waiting to happen.

"Well, she's right, but you already knew that," I said, drawing her attention away from Jo. "I can tell just by looking at you that being here makes you nervous. That's your subconscious telling you this place is dangerous. It's your survival instinct, and you should listen to it."

"Everything you're saying is contradictory," she asserted. "Your raptors are born in captivity."

"With siblings, they learn social skills." I walked towards her, my face serious. "And I imprint on them when they're born, there's trust."

"Like in Twilight, but not as stupid," Jo spoke up, unable to let the jab about imprinting pass her by.

"What?" Claire questioned, looking back and forth between us.

"Claire, I say this with all the love in the world, you need to get out more," Jo said as Nick laughed from his seat in the corner. Claire rolled her eyes, looking away from us and out the window.

"Literary references aside, the only positive relationship that animal has is with that crane," I told her, pointing towards the device. "At least she knows that means food."

"So, she needs a friend. We should schedule play dates, that sort of thing?" she said mockingly. Some people insisted on learning the hard way.

"Probably not a good idea," I stated bluntly.

Claire looked around the paddock, tapping one finger on the thick glass window, trying to locate the I-Rex.

"Where is it?"

"Is it in the basement? Is there a downstairs? Maybe it's in the rec room," I offered as Jo walked forward to stand beside me. I glanced at her and felt my stomach clinch in distress. Her face looked pale, and she kept licking her lips, her hands clenching and unclenching at her side.

"Claire, scan the paddock for thermal signatures," Jo whispered, her voice carrying hints of panic.

"It was just here, we were just here," Claire affirmed, walking in front of us towards another touchscreen panel. Jo walked the opposite direction, something catching her eye. I followed her as I heard Claire tapping away quickly on the screen only to hear a negative response buzz back at her.

I came to a stop next to Jo who had her hands resting against the glass as she stared at the wall of the paddock.

"Owen," she muttered, her eyes never leaving the wall.

"Oh shit," I exclaimed, focusing in on what Jo had found. I heard Nick behind us pressing buttons all over his panel trying to figure out the issue.

"That doesn't make any sense. These doors haven't been opened in weeks," Nick confessed, looking out at the paddock in confusion.

"Were those claw marks always there?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder.

"No, they weren't," Jo answered, her eyes still transfixed on the enormous claw marks littering the wall of the paddock.

"You think it…" Claire started, alarm evident in her voice for the first time. "Oh god, she has an implant in her back. I can track it from the control room."

She sprinted for the door, her heels clicking against the stone surface of the floor as she flew out the room and down the stairs. I looked back at the claw marks, my eyes traveling up the wall. The marks were high enough it was conceivable for her to have climbed over and out.

"Do you think it's possible for it to traverse the wall?" I asked Jo. She turned slowly, swallowing thickly, her face serious.

"With this thing, nothing would surprise me." She was confident in her assessment, but looked unsure of her words. Something wasn't adding up in her book, but I had no idea why. Shaking my head in agreement I turned to Nick who was still sitting shell shocked in his chair.

"We need to get in there and take a look around."

Jo grabbed my arm, stopping me. "That's not a good idea."

"Babe, I get it, really I do, but there are clues down there we need to find if we're going to stop this thing." She couldn't hold my gaze, her eyes drifting out towards the paddock. "What is it?"

She took a deep breath, her eyes remaining fixed on something in the distance. "Something's not right. I've been observing her for months, and she's never given any indication she was even capable of escaping much less close to achieving it. Now all of a sudden she's gone? That's like going from zero to a thousand overnight. It's simply unprecedented."

I studied her profile, absorbing her words. It all made sense except for one glaring omission in her assessment.

"Clearly, something's accelerated her behavior. Those claw marks are a pretty big indicator she's capable of more than we originally thought."

She nodded along with my words, but remained silent. I turned to Nick, who looked like he wished he'd called in sick today.

"What's the best way down?"

He stood up, adjusting his belt as his massive belly hung over it. He was scared, and I didn't blame him. If the I-Rex was out of the paddock we had a seriously dangerous problem to deal with, not to mention an island full of guests who could very easily become targets.

Nick led us down to a lower level that opened into the paddock, directly across from the claw marked wall. Jo and I walked out first with Nick lingering behind us. The three of us walked down a makeshift path towards the wall where another paddock worker, Ellis, was already standing, examining the marks. Seeing a person standing next to them was sobering to say the least. He looked inconsequential next to the marks, and I suppressed a shiver of dread at the sheer size an animal would have to be in order to achieve something like that.

Once next to the wall I ran my hands down the marks, the indention in the solid, concrete was at least a half-inch deep. Jo stood next to me, looking up briefly before turning around to peer into the dense jungle of the paddock.

"It's almost 40 feet high," Nick commented. "You really think she could have climbed out?"

Good question.

"Depends," I told him.

"On what?"

"What kind of dinosaur they cooked up in that lab," Jo finished, still looking into the jungle, ignoring the claw marks altogether. She squinted at something, stepping forwards slowly before saying, "We need to get out of here, now."

Just as she finished Nick's radio squawked, Vivian's voice coming in broken and on the verge of hysteria. "Paddock…with you….do you copy?"

"Yeah, what's the problem?" Nick asked, speaking into his radio.

"It's in the cage. It's in there with you!" Vivian shouted, the transmission clear.

I wasted no time, spinning on my heel, sprinting back the way we came. I grabbed Jo's arm as I passed yelling, "Go!"

She didn't need my encouragement as we took off at a dead sprint, Ellis out in front as Jo and I ran next to each other. I could hear Nick's labored breathing from behind us, and worried the heavyset man wouldn't be quick enough to escape. We were feet away from the door when suddenly the palm trees started swaying back and forth, the sound of snapping branches drowning out our heavy breathing.

Before we could make it to the door the enormous I-Rex stepped into our path, bearing down on us with murder in her eyes. The three of us skidded to a stop, my eyes wide as I took in the hideous creation. She howled at us, opening her massive hands, exposing a set of razor sharp claws. Without hesitation I pivoted on my heel, Jo already running back the opposite direction, both of us desperate to put some distance between ourselves and the dinosaur.

Each step the I-Rex took shook the earth making it hard to keep your balance. Jo and I ran for our lives, pulling away from Ellis who was too slow to keep pace with us. I felt air whip by my shoulder as the I-Rex lunged forward, snatching up Ellis. I heard his agonizing scream, but only had time to say a quick prayer that his death would be quick painless death. There was nothing else either of us could do. The sound of crushing bones and frantic screams was burned into my memory, but I kept running, not daring turn around. There was no way to save him and no time to mourn. My only concern was getting Jo and myself to safety.

I saw Nick fumbling with his access card and the hand scanner that would open the door in front of us. He punched in a code, and the steel door creaked and groaned as it started to slowly slide open. Nick glanced back at us briefly, debating waiting for us before turning and squeezing through the door. His self-preservation taking precedence, I couldn't blame the guy.

The door wasn't even halfway open when it shuttered, stopped briefly, then started to move in the opposite direction, closing slowly. Most likely overridden from the control room in an effort to keep the creature contain. If that door closed before we were able to get out we were dead.

"Move Jo!" I yelled as the I-Rex roared from behind us, her snapping jaws so close to my head I could smell the rotten decay of her breath. Jo glanced back, looking for me and I screamed, "Go!"

She hesitated slightly, but a firm look from me turned her around as she pumped her arms and legs as fast as she could trying to beat the ever-closing door. Another thunderous roar gave me the burst of speed I needed, propelling me forward. I could feel the I-Rex behind me, closing the distance faster than I could put it between us. Jo dashed through the door with me just behind her. As we cleared the paddock I heard the sound of steel and concrete being crushed as the dinosaur destroyed anything in her path, the door unable to close before she overtook it. Workers were scrambling every direction, panicked cries and screams ringing out as everyone ran for their lives.

There was no way we could out run her. We needed to hide.

Scanning the sparse parking lot quickly I found we didn't have a lot of options. Our only hope was a crane truck directly in front of us. Surging forward I came up beside Jo, the two of running step for step as we approached the truck. There was no time to communicate my plan, and I wouldn't have had the breath to do it even if there was so without a word I grabbed her around the shoulders, dragging her down with me as I slide in the gravel parking lot next to the truck. Without uttering a sound or missing a beat she rolled under the vehicle as I followed directly behind her.

Flipping onto my stomach I peered out from under the truck, watching the animal, now free of the paddock, scanning her immediate surroundings. Outside of her prison for the first time she wasn't in any hurry. In fact, she was downright methodical as she stalked forward, taking her time, scanning every direction. She wasn't trying to escape anymore. She was going on the offensive. She was hunting.

Jo's short pants sounded in my ear and I looked over to her. She was lying similar to me, her eyes wide as she tracked the I-Rex. Feeling my gaze on her she looked at me and I raised my eyebrows, a silent question as to her well-being. She squeezed her eyes closed briefly before opening them and giving me a slight nod, which I returned.

It was in that moment that I realized what true love was all about, sacrifice. I was in a situation that very well may end in my death, but I didn't care about that in the least. My entire focus was centered on finding a way to get Jo out of this. It's true what they say, love is not possible without sacrifice, and sacrifice is not possible without love.

I was dying a thousand deaths underneath this truck, but not for me. I glanced out across the parking lot, considering making a run for it in order to draw the animal away from here, away from Jo. As if sensing the direction my thoughts were headed she clamped down on my arm, her head shaking vigorously, her opinion on the matter abundantly clear. We had a silent conversation, our eyes locked, both our stubborn streaks spiking as we lay hidden underneath the crane truck. She grabbed a hold of my shirt, mouthing the word "No" followed closely by "Please".

Pursing my lips together I covering her hand with mine and nodded. I was desperate to save her, but if I left the safety of our position she'd just follow me, which would achieve nothing, but giving us both a swift death.

Our attention was drawn to the I-Rex as she marched forward towards a white truck. The two of us shifted silently, adjusting our position as we tracked the animal. My heart was pounding in my chest as sweat rolled down my face. It wasn't until the animal was on the opposite side of the other vehicle that I noticed Nick huddled in the front. Our eyes met and I saw tears streaming down his face, his body trembling in fear. He had seconds, maybe, before the I-Rex would be face to face with him. He whimpered, looking around the other side of the car, attempting to move as the animal moved in an effort to stay out of sight.

It was a futile effort.

Nick pulled what I assumed was a cross out from around his neck, kissing it quickly, sending up a silent prayer. Jo shifted forward beside me, and I locked an arm around her waist, pulling her back, keeping her firmly pinned under the truck. If I wasn't rushing out from under here to save her, she sure as shit wasn't doing it either.

Without warning the I-Rex picked up the truck Nick was hiding in front of, tossing it aside like it weighed nothing. It flew several feet into the air then crashed into the ground right in front of us. I pulled Jo under me, shielding her body with my own as glass and metal exploded out from the crumpled vehicle, pounding against my back and forearms.

When the rubble settled I released my hold on Jo, both of us searching for Nick. He was sitting in the middle of the parking lot, completely exposed, staring directly at us. His eyes locked with mine right before the dinosaur's colossal jaws swooped down suddenly, engulfing him as she lifting his body up into the air with a sickening crunch.

Jo shuttered beside me as I came to the realization she wasn't leaving here until she was 100% sure she'd killed every living soul in sight. Flipping onto my back quickly I pulled my knife from its sheath at the small of my back. Jo copied my movements, silently watching, her eyes darting from me to the I-Rex then back to me. We were out of time.

Reaching up I used the knife to cut the truck's gas line, the stench of the liquid permeating the air instantly. Turning my head to the side quickly to avoid getting the liquid in my mouth I used the now severed hose to dose my body in the gas, using my hands to spread it over as much of my body as I could. Satisfied I was as concealed as I could be I pointed the hose at Jo, covering her head to toe as well. She clamped her eyes shut, holding her breath as I ran the hose from the top of her head to as far as it would reach in the middle of her body. The flow of gas slowed to a trickle then stopped as the tank emptied.

A snarl boomed out from my left, and I turned my head just in time to see the animal's body making its way towards us. The stomps shook the ground as she slowly sniffed the air, getting closer with each step. I laid my head back, my hand reaching out and for Jo's. I turned my head to the side finding her looking directly at me, her breathing calm, but her eyes petrified. Our fingers interlaced instinctively, our only lifeline in that moment each other.

Blocking out everything else I stared into her hazel eyes, and felt a sense of peace settle over me. If this was it, if this was how we died, then I was glad I was here with her. I was thankful for the time we'd had together, no matter how short. I regretted a lot of things in my life, but the time I'd spent loving Jo wasn't one of them. The time we'd spent together may be the only good thing I'd ever done.

A low growl sounded, the crunch of gravel signaling her approach. She moved slowly, with patience. I saw the front of her snout peak out from behind a tire in my peripheral, and willed my body and the woman beside me to stay still. The animal stalked forward, inhaling deeply before turning her nose and shoving it as far under the truck as it would go. Jo turned her head away from me as I slammed my eyes closed, the smell of putrid death wafting over us with each breath causing bile to burn the back of my throat. My stomach rolled as my mind identified the smell of human remains, more specifically Nick and Ellis.

Jo's hand crushed mine, the slight shake in her hand traversing her entire body. I kept my hand strong, attempting to steady her as the creature snorted again, then shrieked loudly. Jo jumped slightly as the ear splitting cry threatened to burst my eardrums. Unable to pick up our scent she finally seemed convinced there was no one left at the paddock and began walking away, every step causing a mini earthquake to shake the ground beneath us.

Picking my head up I watched her leave the immediate vicinity of the paddock. My breathing faltered, coming out in short pants from both relief and fear. Once I saw certain she wasn't coming back I let my head fall to the ground, staring at the bottom of the truck, my mouth open in sheer disbelief.

Exhaling harshly I looked over to Jo. She still had her head turned away from me, her hand holding on to mine so tight she could potentially break bones. Rolling over towards her I put my hand on the side of her face, turning it towards me. Her head rolled to the side, but her eyes remained firmly closed.

"Hey," I said softly, more afraid of startling her than alerting the attention of the dinosaur that now sounded far away. She opened her eyes slowly, sweat rolling down her forehead, her body still shaking. "Come on, let's get out from under here."

I extracted myself from the truck first, and then reached down to help her as she shakily got to her feet. I wrapped my arms around her waist in an effort to steady her and myself as she placed her palms on my chest.

"Are you OK?" I asked, looking her up and down quickly, not seeing any obvious injuries.

She nodded her head, her eyes focused on the center of my chest, her body shaking like a leaf. She was in shock. Hell, so was I at this point, but I needed her back here with me. We were alive, but we still had a serious problem on our hands, and we needed to get back to the control room as soon as possible.

"Babe, I need to hear you say it."

Her eyes found mine, and I saw recognition flash through them. She took a deep breath through her nose, letting it out slowly through her mouth.

"That's it," I encouraged, finding myself copying her actions.

She did it twice more before saying, "I'm OK."

Nodding, I smiled at her, and then she launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck, pulling me close. I hauled her against me, burying my face in her hair, my body shaking with relief. Pulling away slightly I crushed my lips to hers in an effort to reassure myself we were alive, unharmed, and together. Nothing else mattered at this point.

She met my kiss with fiery passion of her own, licking and nipping at my lips in what could only be called desperation. I kissed her back, pouring my love and devotion into the act. Every day with her was a gift, none more so than today.

I was thankful to be alive, to still be breathing especially considering two other people had not been as fortunate. I was grateful to be holding the woman I loved, and god, did I love her, with all I had inside of me, I loved her.

We pulled back simultaneously, our need for oxygen overcoming our need for each other. I smiled down at her before reluctantly letting her go.

"We need to get to headquarters," I told her, looking around the parking lot. There was a fleet truck on the other side of the lot that was probably our best bet. Most of us left the keys to those vehicles either in the ignition or in the visor when we took them out. "I'm gonna go check that truck. Can you see if any of the others have keys in them?"

She nodded as I made my way towards the vehicle. I'd only taken a few steps when I heard her call out, "I love you."

My steps faltered and I froze, still facing away from her. My mind was trying to process what she'd said, but the words didn't compute. I'd been with Jo over a year and not once in that entire time had she ever uttered those three words to me.

When I first confessed my feelings for her, and didn't get the same in return, it was hard to not feel a twinge of rejection. It was only natural; if you tell someone you love them you expect them say it back. At least that had been my expectation. Until Jo I had never told anyone outside of my immediate family that I loved them so I wasn't exactly sure of the protocol for broaching the subject of love, but common sense dictated the other person said it back or there was a serious problem in your relationship.

What I learned after living with her for over a year was that she didn't work the way _most_ people did. She didn't express herself with words, she did with action, and what her actions told me was that she loved me just as much as I loved her.

She lived it, breathed it.

Every action, every gesture was a testament to her love for me, and as time passed hearing the words meant less and less. I didn't need to hear her say it, I felt it, like the sun battering my face on a blistering day, I felt her love. It's crazy how a person who was once a stranger to me could somehow become my world, but love was weird like that, I guess.

Jo taught me that loving someone was more than what you said, it was what you did, and while it didn't stop me from verbalizing my feelings for her I understood why she couldn't do the same. I was secure in the knowledge that she loved me, but that I might never hear her say the actual words.

Which was why I was positive I must have misheard her just now.

"What did you say?" I asked, slowly turning to face her. She stood tall before me, no trace of apprehension on her face as she closed the distance between us, her eyes never leaving mine.

"I love you."

* * *

 **Archeops567: Well, what did you think? You were right, Jo didn't want Owen in there, but she couldn't keep him out. I really like her back-and-forth with Hoskins too...it's fun to write. Thanks for reading and reviewing!  
**

 **jahoney: I considered having Jo open up more in the previous chapter, but decided to wait for the "big reveal" here. I thought it worked a little better or fit better given the gravity of what they just went through. What do you think? You aren't lying, this chapter was tough. There is so much happening and so much to delve into...I hope I did it justice. Let me know!**

 **.2016: Hi, and welcome! I'm so glad you found this story and like it...you were busy reviewing and I LOVED it :) Hope you come back for this chapter and enjoy it as well. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 **Reclun: The I-Rex eating people was both fun and terrifying to write. It's a lot (and hard) to put that on paper while being able to express how everyone would feel/act during something like that. I hope you liked it. I'm sorry some of the back-and-forth confused you...I'll try to clean it up in the future.**

 **LaurenMarie814: I'm your favorite author? That might be the nicest thing anyone has said to me all day! Yeah :) I absolutely love your reaction. My husband does the same thing to me when I jump up to read something that recently posted...he just thinks I have "issues". LOL! I hope you liked this chapter, it was a beast to write, but I loved it. Hope you love it too!**

 **Gryffindor Rat: So...what did you think of this one? It was a huge chapter, with lots going on, not the least of which Jo finally admitting to Owen and herself how she feels. I thought this was a good time for it, especially given what the two of them are about to face. It won't get any easier. It was really fun writing all that stuff with Owen, Jo and Claire. Believe it or not a lot of the stuff I put in are real things that happen when I'm talking to my husband, the man has a one track mind, LOL! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!**

 **LynxOnSmoothies: Hey and welcome back! Thanks for reading the story and putting your homework aside to review, although I hope you eventually got it done. I appreciate all your comments, especially the "just as soon" vs. "just assume", already updated. It was funny because when I went in to look at the "hold one" I sat there staring at it for like 5 minutes trying to find the error before my husband pointed out you probably thought I meant to type "hold on". "Hold one" is a military expression for wait so that's what Hamada was saying, but I appreciate you letting me know what you see so I can make this the best story it can be. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **MidnightPenguin: Grim Reaper delivered, what did you think? There was certainly a lot going on here, but I hope it worked. Let me hear ya!**

 **JessieBWriting: I would never kill Claire or Owen ;) Don't worry, it will all work out in the end, sort of. I love keeping the convo's from the movie in there, but tweaking them slightly with Jo...so fun. I hope you liked the chapter, and thanks so much for reading and reviewing!**

 **angleicedg: I loved that part too...true story, LOL! I had first hand experience with that "puke feeling" when my kids all caught a bug. Good time, not! Hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always, thank you for your faithful reading and reviewing!**


	9. Chapter 7

**Apologies for the delay, but life is smacking me around a bit lately.**

 **This chapter was tough to write and has a lot of "feels" that are difficult to put into words. This is a pivotal chapter and I hope you all enjoy it, tough though it may be.**

* * *

Chapter 7

 **~ Jo ~**

Most people have "aha" moments.

I'm not like most people.

I have "oh for fuck's sake, fuck this shit" moments.

Which was the only way I could explain what happened as I watched Owen walk away to find the keys to a car so we could leave, and hopefully stop the vicious, man-eating dinosaur before it killed everyone on the island. I stood there, completely immobile, looking at his retreating back, and asking myself what in the hell I'd been doing the past year and half. Why had I never told this man that I loved him so much it actually hurt sometimes?

Looking at my actions post I-Rex rampage the entire thing felt stupid, ridiculous, absolutely insane. I'm sure it felt like a lot of other things too, but I'm not a walking Thesaurus, and those were the only college words I could use to describe my absurd logic for _not_ being honest with him during the course of our relationship. I'd heard women in the cafeteria profess their love for him when he passed them the coffee creamer, and here I was shacked up with a proverbial wet dream and I was holding back.

It was a slight against womankind, I'll tell you that, and one I intended to remedy, time now.

I couldn't keep it inside me a second longer even if I wanted to. The normal irrational fear that manifested every time the words lodged in my throat dissipated, and my profession came tumbling out, not once, but twice. The first time I said it, he froze mid-stride, but kept his back to me, and I wondered if he'd heard me. The second time, he managed to turn around and look at me, but the expression on his face didn't inspire me with confidence. He looked almost shell shocked.

I tried not to wince at his expression, I'd finally screwed it up by waiting too long. I guess I couldn't blame him. I knew I was too much for people sometimes. I could even understand it. Most people I came across just weren't my kind of people so their dismissals meant little. Sometimes I worried Owen would eventually find his way to that category, but then I saw a subtle shift in his body. Gone was the jolt of surprise my words initially elicited. In its place I saw his trademark sexy smirk that to my perpetual annoyance had real potential to set my panties on fire. It was in that moment I realized Owen would never count himself among the throngs of people who considered me too much.

He was my kind of people.

Initially frozen by disbelief he was now spurred into action, sauntering forward as he closed the distance between us faster than he'd ran from the I-Rex. He didn't slow down, didn't hold back, grabbing my face between his hands and kissing me hard. I stumbled back slightly, but his solid arms wrapped around me instantly, steadying me. I felt the stubble from his beard scratching against my skin, creating a blissful kind of pain. His mouth was hot and demanding as his tongue plunged into my mouth, his hands drawing me closer. This kiss was like being on one of those gigantic roller coasters that were hundreds of feet in the air, all you could do was close your eyes and hold on for dear life.

As we broke apart both breathing hard I leaned my head against his, keeping my eyes closed a second longer. I just wanted to pretend for one more millisecond that everything was normal, and we were just two people disgustingly in love, but unfortunately reality rarely coincided with desire.

Owen kissed my forehead, tucking pieces of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail behind my ear before tipping my head back so I could look him in the eye. "I'm literally thrilled to hear you say that, but I gotta ask, it's not just because we almost died right?"

A valid question, no doubt.

"No," I answered, looking him in the eye, "I think I've loved you since the moment I met you, I just didn't know. Or I didn't _want_ to know. I may be new to relationships, but even I know there isn't any coming back from something like this."

Getting over Owen wasn't something I'd ever be able to do. It was the emotional equivalent of asking me to give up sugar, its simply couldn't be done. I wasn't super human.

He raised his eyebrows at me, not buying my answer hook, line and sinker. I rolled my eyes at him, raising my hands up in surrender. "OK, I'll admit, almost getting eaten by a dinosaur is really motivational, but let's be honest, it's not like that hasn't happened before," I told him flatly.

"That's incredibly disturbing," he responded.

"But not untrue." I shrugged, hugging him tightly. "There are 1,000 reasons why I couldn't tell you before now, but they're all stupid so I'd just as soon forget them." I paused, soaking in the feeling of being held in his arms, his masculine scent engulfing me, his unyielding presence like a balm to my soul. Tipping my head up to look at him I confessed, "I would tell you I'll love you forever, but that just doesn't seem long enough."

He smiled then, a special smile that was only for me, and it damn near made my heart burst. Jesus, we must be revolting to the general public.

"Come on, we gotta go," he said, grabbing my hand as we walked towards the closest fleet vehicle. The doors were unlocked so we both hopped in, finding the keys in the ignition. Owen muttering a "thank god" before cranking the engine and putting the truck in drive.

When he didn't drive away immediately I glanced over at him, only to find him staring at me intently.

"What?" I questioned.

"What do you think the chances are we make it through the day?"

I whistled, shaking my head. I couldn't speak for Owen, but my chances of surviving a normal day were somewhere in the neighborhood of 50/50. Throw in a genetically modified dinosaur on an unauthorized field trip, and the odds plummeted faster than stock during the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

"70/30," I surmised, scrunching up my face in thought before amending me assessment, "Shit, maybe 80/20, that thing has some serious rage issues."

Owen's head fell against the steering wheel as he mumbled under his breath.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "What did I say?"

He picked up his head, looking at me with an expression I couldn't identify. "Lie to me Jo," he said in exasperation.

"Oh, you wanted reassurance? Sorry, I totally missed that signal." Truth was I missed most signals. "We'll be fine. We probably won't even see that thing again in person. We're going to go to headquarters and watch from the safety of the control room as they tactically assist that thing in kicking its oxygen habit."

He frowned at me, shaking his head.

"Was it too much? It felt like too much?"

"It was too much," he agreed.

"Was it the oxygen habit bit? Is that what did it?"

"Pretty much everything after we'll be fine was complete shit," he responded, smiling. I harrumphed, crossing my arms over my chest as I looked out the windshield. This is the thanks I get for tapping into my sensitive side. "I appreciate the effort, and if it's any consolation you're getting better."

"Really?" I asked, turning to face him with hope in my eyes.

He laughed as he smirked at me. "No, not really."

My hopefully face immediately transformed into a scowl.

"You're an asshole sometimes, you know that, right?"

"I do know that, but you love me anyways." When I just shrugged my indifference he only laughed harder, peeling out of the parking lot, hauling ass to headquarters in a manner that made me wish the truck came equipped with barf bags. People who say I'm dangerous clearly haven't seen this man behind the wheel.

Two minutes later (OK, more like 15) we were parking the truck outside headquarters and running inside. The mood in the lobby was tense, and it was obvious everyone and their mother knew about the I-Rex. Owen and I running through the building didn't help the situation, and I was fairly certain I saw someone faint when they took in our disheveled appearances. I tried to look reassuring as we sprinted past the security desk, jumping onto the first elevator we found, but when several people declined to get on with us, instead opting to "take the next one" I knew I'd failed in spectacular fashion.

On the elevator Owen pulled out his phone, sending a quick text before returning it to his pocket. Feeling my stare he turned to look at me, licking his lips before saying, "Barry." My eyes widened when I thought of him and the girls at the paddock, out in the open, essentially unprotected. "I want to make sure my people and the girls are as safe as we can make them until this is resolved."

Nodding I asked, "What did you tell him?"

"Code 19."

Taking a deep breath I returned my gaze to the elevator doors. Code 19, asset out of containment. Shit just got real. Swallowing thickly I steeled myself for what was to come. There was bad, and then there was what we were dealing with at the moment. Add to the fact I didn't think Claire and Simon were prepared to handle something of this magnitude, and you had the making of your very own Greek tragedy.

It wasn't that Simon or Claire were incompetent, quite the opposite in normal circumstances, but their judgment was suspect when it came to making the hard call. My gut told me I was going to find them in the control room trying like hell to contain the situation. And by contain I meant keep it from the press and guests. I was crossing my fingers they wouldn't be laboring under the illusion they could contain the I-Rex without killing it.

Unfortunately, I've never been particularly lucky.

Owen and I both knew there was only one way this could be resolved with no more loss of life, and that required putting a M134 on a bird and filling this thing with lead, lots and lots of lead.

The elevator pinged, the doors opening slowly. I saw Owen clench his fists in my peripheral, and I said a silent prayer no one got in his way right now. The fury wafting off of him was almost tangible on my tongue. His body was rigid with tension, like a lion waiting to pounce on whoever was stupid enough to open his cage.

Once the doors were open Owen stalked off the elevator, his face set with grim determination. I trailed slightly behind him, raising my eyebrows as a security guard attempted to step in his path.

"I need to see a badge," the guard attempted. Owen scowled at him, but offered no other response, marching past him. "Sir…" he tried again.

"What the hell happened out there?" Owen asked Claire, continuing his advance towards her, ignoring the guard completely.

Walking behind Owen I took in Claire's frightened expression and quivering hands. She was holding it together with duct tape and dreams at the moment. I could see she was trying to exude a sense of calm authority for the sake of those in the control room, but she wasn't fooling me. I knew scared shitless when I saw it.

"There are thermal cameras all over that paddock. She did not just disappear," Owen spit out, the security guard physically restraining him now. Unable to hold his gaze under the onslaught of accusations Claire turned back towards the screens at the front of the room. Simon made a motion to the security guard, and he released Owen reluctantly, but stayed nearby.

"Owen," I said quietly. He turned to look at me, anger blazing his in his brilliant, blue eyes. "Easy."

I wanted an explanation as much as the next guy, but ripping each other apart just to play pin the blame on the donkey wasn't going to get us anywhere.

"It must have been a…technical malfunction," Claire attempted weakly, turning to face us.

This is the thanks I get for trying to help a sister out.

"A technical malfunction," I repeated, damn near positive I must have misheard her. When she nodded briskly, her eyes darting away from mine quickly I almost had a significant emotional event right then and there. "You've got to be shittin' me."

"Were you not watching?" Owen accused, advancing towards her once again, his voice rising in volume. Claire glanced at me, her expression clearly asking for me to intervene on her behalf. I raised my eyebrows at her, if "technical malfunction" was the party line on this one she was on her own. "She marked up that wall as a distraction. She wanted us to think she escaped."

Owen and Claire were now nose to nose as she told him, "Hold on, we are talking about an animal here."

"Your inability to change your way of viewing these animals is going get more people killed," I spoke up, Claire's eyes immediately seeking me out as I stood next to Lowery's station.

"What are you talking about?" When I just looked back at her blankly she turned to Owen, "What is she talking about?"

"She means, these are highly intelligent animals," Owen clarified, venom dripping from every syllable.

"400 meters to the beacon," Vivian spoke up to no one in particular.

My eyes shot towards the screens at the front of the room, my head darting back and forth as I inspected each monitor.

"Wait," I began, only to pause with confusion. It was like my brain couldn't process what it was seeing.

The individual pieces of information on each screen I could identify:

Two vehicles traveling down a bumpy, jungle road at a high rate of speed.

Eight vital sign monitors displaying the heart rate and blood pressure of those traveling in the vehicles.

Four different camera angles displaying different sections of each vehicle courtesy of the multiple GoPro's cameras.

The red dot and accompanying beep that displayed on a map of the island the I-Rex's current location.

I understood each individual element I was seeing, but the information refused to stick in my brain. I understood _what_ I was seeing, but I couldn't figure out _why_ I was seeing it.

"Are they…" I stumbled over the words, walking forwards as my arm brushed against Owen's, my eyes locked on one of the screens. My mouth went dry as real, genuine panic set in. "What have you done?"

Claire fumbled for a response, but my eyes never left the screen in front of me. I couldn't stop looking at the man sitting in the passenger seat of the lead vehicle, the man who more than likely had been sent to his death.

Hamada.

The vehicles slamming on their breaks broke me out of my trance. Whipping around towards Lowery I grabbed the first ear comm unit I saw lying on his desk, jamming it into my ear.

"Patch me through to Hamada," I told him.

"OK, one second."

Stepping forward, Simon put a restraining hand on Lowery's shoulder, "Do not connect that unit."

Turning my head slowly I examined the man in front of me. Gone was the caring, compassionate, idealistic Simon I called my friend. In his place was the shrewd businessman I'd never met.

It's funny the sides of people you discover when you least expect it. One minute you think you know someone, and the next you realize you never really knew them at all.

I was an expert at reading people, and I could tell by the manner in which Simon held himself at the moment that he had no intention of allowing me to communicate with the ACU team on the ground. I could hear them getting ready in the background, the slamming of doors and hasty conversations flying from one member to the next as they readied themselves to track the I-Rex. I knew I had little to no time left.

When I heard Owen's next statement I knew my time was up.

"You're going after them with non-lethals?" he asked in horror.

"We have $26 million dollars invested in that asset, we can't just kill it."

The way Simon said it, like it was perfectly logically, made my eye twitch. He had no compassion for the men on the ground. No idea of the risk he'd exposed them all to. No concern for their well-being as he watched this unfold from the safety of headquarters.

In that moment, I hated him.

"Those men are going to die," Owen whispered to him. Simon broke eye contact with me for the first time to look at him with concern. He still didn't accept the reality of the situation. He still didn't understand the danger.

Well, that ended now.

"300 meters to the beacon," Vivian chimed in, her voice shaky with fear.

"Connect me now," I demanded, looking at Simon and not Lowery.

"Uh…" Lowery's head darted back-and-forth between Simon and me, unsure of what to do.

Simon looked less certain than before, but he held fast to his previous command, "No."

"OK, we'll do it your way," I told him as I cracked my neck once, quickly scanning the room, cataloguing every person. Then, faster than he could comprehend I pulled my weapon out of my leg holster, pointing it directly between his eyes as I took a step closer. "I'm not going to ask again, connect the unit."

Simon's eyes went wide as saucers, his hands raised in the air as everyone gasped in shock. Everyone except Owen who I could see keeping a close eye on every single person in the room. He moved protectively towards my back, silently letting the room know if they were going to get to me they'd have to go through him first. He wasn't armed to the teeth like I was, but Owen was filled with blind rage at the moment.

He didn't need a weapon, he was one.

"What are you going to do, shoot me?" Simon asked in disbelief, unable to comprehend the scene playing out in front of him. Turning the gun to the side slightly, I pulled the slide back, chambering a round.

"Care to find out?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the security guard try to inch forward, pulling my reserve weapon from the other leg holster I aimed it at him with my left hand.

"I don't think so," I told him calmly, "Stay right where you are."

Looking back towards Simon I raised my eyebrows at him. It was his move. He swallowed thickly, a bead of sweat trailing down the side of his head, his hands shaking as he held them suspended in the air in front of him. He was trying to figure out if I would really shoot him. I hoped for his sake he made the right decision.

While I had faith he would eventually come to the correct conclusion I didn't have time to wait for him to figure it out. So, I decided to help expedite the situation.

"I'm going to count to five," I told him. "One."

"And then what?" he yelled, looking to Owen for help who was shoulder-to-shoulder with me, his head turned in Simon's direction. Whatever help he was expecting from Owen he obviously didn't get as his head swung back to me, his face pale.

"Two."

"Jo, this is madness. Will you take a minute to consider the consequences for once?!"

"Three."

"You honestly expect me to believe that you'll kill me?" I could see the betrayal in his eyes over my actions. Simon wasn't just my boss, he was my friend. Too bad for him Hamada was family.

Tipping my head slightly to the side I studied him before saying, "You're right Simon, I'm not going to kill you."

He looked relieved, his shoulders sagging as he exhaled sharply.

"But I will shoot you, and I hear a round to the knee cap can be quiet motivational." I lowered my aim, putting his right knee between the crosshairs. "Four."

The threat of a shattered knee cap was all the motivation he needed.

"Connect her," Simon told Lowery in a rush to beat the count.

Smiling slightly I holstered the weapon aimed at him, looking towards the guard again, "If you value your knee caps I'd stay right where you are High Speed."

He nodded once at me, clearly wearing a look that said he didn't get paid enough to bum rush an armed, crazy person. Satisfied with his compliance I holstered my other weapon, turning around to face the screens as I waited for Lowery.

"You're insane!" Simon shouted at me once he recovered enough to speak. "When this is over you're fired!"

I waved my hand at him dismissively, "If we survive this you can fire me all you want. Right now I'm not done saving your ass so if you could shut up and color while the adults go to work I'd appreciate it."

I swear I heard Simon's jaw hit the floor, but it barely registered over the tension in my body. My muscled felt coiled, so tight it made my bones hurt as I watched the ACU team gearing up, and moving into the jungle, the distance between them and the ominous red dot shrinking by the second. They were close, too close.

"Lowery," I called out, not bothering to look at him.

"I'm trying, there's signal interference. I can't get the connection to lock."

Billions of dollars invested in resurrecting dinosaurs, but we couldn't make a fucking phone call.

Typical.

"You need to call this mission off right now. Call it off right now!" Owen bellowed at Claire, attempting to sway her into calling the team back herself. How I had no idea since I couldn't get through, but maybe she has some kind of alternative way to communicate with them. If she didn't move quickly we'd need a Ouija board to talk to them.

Her body shook slightly at his words, but she refused to face him. "You are not in control here," she hissed back at him.

"Neither are you." The I-Rex was running this show, we were just spectators at this point. Glancing over my shoulder at Lowery I said, "I don't care what you have to do, get me in touch with Hamada."

His lips compressed in a thin line as he nodded briefly before turning back to his terminal. Vivian leaned over, handing him another manual in an effort to expedite his efforts. I turned back towards the monitors, watching as the ACU team fanned out in the jungle attempting to track down the I-Rex.

"I've got a signal lock, it's weak, but it's the best I can do at the moment," Lowery said.

"Good work," I responded as Owen took a step towards me. "ACU team, this is control, cease and desist with search efforts. Account for all personnel then return to base for further instructions, over."

The static that filled the control room was deafening. Looking up I watched Hamada as he walked forward as the point man. I waited for any kind of indication he'd heard my transmission.

Nothing.

"I say again, ACU team this is control, cease and desist with search efforts. Return to base immediately."

Owen's eyes flicked towards the screen, watching closely. They continued their slow stalk forward, directly into the path of the blinking red dot. With no way to communicate with the team on the ground all we could do was watch as Hamada walked through a small stream before holding up his hand, signaling the men behind him to hold their positions.

He was practically on top of the red dot now, but the I-Rex was nowhere in sight, which was mystifying considering the sheer size of that beast. Hamada glanced around carefully before kneeling down to pick up what looked like a piece of flesh.

"Bloods not clotted yet, it's close." Hamada's voice flooded the control room. I pressed my finger to my ear, trying again to talk to him.

When he didn't respond I rounded on Lowery, "Why can't he hear me?"

Lowery shrugged, looking from his computer to the screen. "One way comms, we can hear him, but he can't hear us. It's got to be the signal interference. He probably has no idea we're even trying to contact him."

I looked at Owen, my breathing coming in shallow pants. He stepped towards me, quickly putting his hands on my shoulders, and instructing me to breathe in through my nose then slowly out through my mouth. I complied, breathing slowly with him as I tried in vain to keep my shit together. I blinked rapidly, water filling my eyes as my brain finally relented to the inevitable.

Hamada and his team were on their own.

"What is that?" Simon asked. Owen squeezed my shoulder once before returning his attention to the screen. I took another minute to collect myself. I didn't need to look at it; I already knew what it was. What's worse, I knew what it meant.

"That's her tracking implant, she clawed it out," Owen answered, walking closer and closer to the screen as if the distance would erase the nightmare displayed on it.

"How would it know to do that?" Claire queried, her voice equal parts horror and astonishment.

Taking one more deep breath I walked forward until I was next to Owen, my eyes locked on the drama unfolding on the screens before telling her, "Because, she remembered where they put it in."

"But, she can't…" Simon started only to trail off.

Even now, when confronted with clear evidence to the contrary they refused to truly see the animal they had created. The endless meetings where I'd rallied against this abhorrent creation, the countless reports that detailed her danger, and now the lives she'd taken, all of it was blood that stained their hands.

"Everything that's about to happen," I began, addressing the room without looking to anyone in particular, "You could have prevented it all."

Slowly, Hamada looked up towards the canopy of trees above him, standing up deliberately as he turned back towards the rest of the ACU team, a puzzled expression on his face. My body jolted as I heard a cracking sound boom out of the speakers in the room.

Branches breaking and leaves rustling was the only warning they had before the enormous hybrid appeared from seemingly nowhere. It took me a minute, but eventually the pieces fell into place.

Camouflage, of course, it made perfect sense.

Not only could she alter her body temperature to fool the thermal sensors, but she could change her appearance based on her surroundings which accounted for our inability to see her earlier at the paddock.

"It can camouflage!" Hamada screamed, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I watched in shock as he tried to escape, bolting forward, only making it a few steps before the enormous clawed hand of the I-Rex closed around his body. She lifted him into the air, the size of her making Hamada look like a toy in the hands of a child. I wanted to look away, needed to look away, but my eyes stayed glued to the screen. No one said a word. I'm not sure anyone was even breathing.

It was like passing a gruesome accident on the highway, and slowing down so you could take in every repulsive detail. You didn't want to see the blood stained highway or the body bags on the gurney, but you looked all the same. Morbid curiosity I guess.

The ACU team futilely fired rounds at the animal as Hamada screamed in agony, slowly being crushed by the pressure exerted on his body. Bile rose in my throat as I listened to the sound of my friend dying before my very eyes. I knew his screams would haunt me for the rest of my days. In my life I'd experienced a lot of things, but until this moment I'd never felt utterly useless. The agonizing desperation to help him made my heart rate flutter painfully fast, my chest squeezing with a kind of stinging ache that made it hard to breathe.

It didn't take long for the ACU team to realize their weapons were no match for the animal, retreating back into the jungle the way they had come. The animal roared in outrage, walking forward as she flung Hamada to the ground, his body submerging in the small stream for an instant. My eyes skirted to his vital signs display waiting to see his heartbeat race across the red line. It took a second too long, but a painfully small red blip sounded, traveling across the screen. He was alive.

I willed him to get up.

To move.

To live.

The I-Rex never gave him the chance as she took one swift step forward, purposely smashing down on top of Hamada's body like she was stepping on a bug. Immediately Hamada's vital signs flatlined, a solid red line and constant beep leaving little doubt he was gone.

My vision blurred, and a painfully loud ringing sounded in my ears, drowning out every sound as I winced, a headache pounding painfully behind my eyes. My body involuntarily shook as I stared at the red line that had only moments ago had represented my friend. That constant red line, painfully bright to my eyes screamed that I would never again hear Hamada's sarcastic replies, listen to him bitch about his recruits, get to see pictures of his kids as they grew up.

In an instant he was just, gone.

The pain coursing through my body made me fold into myself in an effort to find relief from the agony that was everywhere, surrounding me like a suffocating blanket. I'd taken more beatings in my life than I cared to remember, but none of them hurt as bad as what I felt right now. My body was hypersensitive, a live wire that seemed to feel everything, and nothing at all. The crushing feeling in my chest had me convinced there must be a gaping hole in my body, but as my hands grasped mindless at my shirt in an effort to find the injury I came up empty. My legs wobbled unsteadily, and I reached out to steady myself on a nearby console.

I felt pressure on my arm and turned, looking into the face of someone I knew, but couldn't place. His face was as familiar to me as my own, but the pain and sadness etched into the thin lines around his eyes and mouth were foreign. My eyes dipped towards his mouth as I watched his lips move, but I couldn't hear anything over the buzzing in my ears. Shaking my head I tried to stop the incessant ringing, but my headache flared violently, making my stomach roll with queasiness.

The man in front of me took one look at my face and stepped forward, snagging the nape on my neck as he hauled me into his arms. I buried my face in the crook of his neck as he simply held me, the name Owen floating to the surface of my mind. He whispered reassurances that didn't completely register as I took comfort in his arms. I don't know how he managed to do it, but his embrace made the world stopped spinning so fast, and I was able to find solid footing on the ground beneath my feet.

The moment the relief registered I instantly felt guilty.

My heart wanted to revel in the comfort he was providing, but my mind stood firm in the knowledge that I deserved no reprieve from the torment. I didn't deserve comfort. Not when I'd just stood by and watched my best friend die a horrific and painful death. I deserved every stabbing pain of grief and despair assaulting my body.

I pulled out of his arms, and he let me go reluctantly, making a point to keep an eye on me. He turned around, and I glanced briefly behind me as he roared his displeasure to the others in the room. He made a point to stay close to me, it made me feel better, and that made me hate myself a little more with each passing second. Loathing filled my thoughts.

What right did I have to feel better?

None, my mind whispered like a voice lost to the wind.

My eyes drifted back towards the screens, finding the flat red line instantly, and the several others accompanying it now. It felt like the only two things in my world at that moment was the ringing in my ears and those damn red lines. My vision tunneled out, blackness creeping in slowly in my peripheral until the lines were all I could see.

Only minutes earlier I had lamented how Simon's hands were covered in blood, but I was wrong. It was mine that were stained with the blood of innocents. Mine that were covered in the blood of a man whose only mistake was trusting me.

I had failed him.

I had failed his family.

He had been my brother in arms. I should have been there with him; I should have died with him. My thoughts turned morbid as I wondered if maybe Hamada was the lucky one. Life was nothing but a beautiful lie for those who struggled in the aftermath while the dead were lucky enough to feel no more pain. It was a bewildering truth to absorb, but I knew now, standing in front of that screen that life hurt more than death ever would.

Closing my eyes I felt a part of myself breaking, the barriers in my mind, normally strong and steady, crumbling like dust in the wind. The flood of emotions and onslaught of memories poured out without warning, rushing towards me like a tsunami. In my mind I was standing on the shore just waiting, defenseless as the hypothetical wave careened towards me. There was nowhere to run, no way to hide.

The emotional wave hit me with crushing force, knocking me off my feet and dragging me under. A distant part of my brain tried to tell me it wasn't real, that this wasn't happening, but it did little calm my panic. It all felt real. I could feel my lungs straining with a desperate need for air as the undertow pulled me further and further down.

It was so dark I didn't know which way was up or which way was down. Alone in the darkness surrounding me the monster I'd hidden away emerged with a vengeance. I swam weakly against the growing tide, but I was tired of holding back, tired of pushing back against my true nature.

I was sick of pretending to be something I wasn't. Consumed in the depths of my past I realized I was right back where I started, surrounded by hopelessness and anger. There was no reprieve in sight so instead of fighting against the pain I decided to channel it, to use it. I let rage replace sorrow, the need for revenge replacing the guilt. I knew what needed to be done so I hardened myself for the task.

I didn't want consolation. I didn't deserve mercy.

But, revenge, revenge was something I could deliver. Retribution was something I could embrace. It was a language I hadn't used in a while, but would always understand. I may have watched Hamada die, but I'd be damned if there was nothing I could about it. One thought reverberating through my mind, a single focused goal,

Kill the I-Rex.

But how did you kill a monster?

Opening my eyes, I looked at the solid red line, a malicious smile tugging at my lips as I found the answer in the soul of the person I used to be.

To kill a monster you had to become one.

In that moment I was beyond saving.

* * *

 **jahoney: You're right, it's somewhat cliche to do the whole "I love you" right after almost dying, but in this case I thought it worked. I debating putting it in different places, but it just didn't work as well as here. It's the "push" you were talking about. I also think Jo see's the situation differently than most and doesn't have a lot of faith she'll make it through the day so Carpe Diem and all that :) Hope you liked this one, thanks for reading and reviewing!  
**

 **Reclun: So, what did you think? Jo didn't go with the ACU team, and instead had to sit helpless and watch. I thought it would work better for what is to come in terms of her development. Plus, I couldn't find a way to get her there when since she was at the I-Rex paddock before...the timing just didn't work. No to mention, I'm not sure how she would have survived that and I'm not ready to get rid of Jo yet ;) Hope you liked this one. I'm with you, this chapter is hard for a lot of different reasons, but necessary I think. Hope you agree.**

 **.2016: Well, here it is...was it worth the wait? Sorry for the delay, but things have been hard here lately. Hope this chapter lives up to the hype, and thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 **Aria2302: I can relate to that too. I'm not much of saying it, more on showing it so it is something I find easier to write. I'm glad someone else can see it that way too. I hope you liked the continuation at the beginning of this chapter. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!**

 **LaurenMarie814: When I watch the movie now I see Jo there too...so funny! I completely understand the muted reaction given the World Series (sorry by the way), I'm the same way. I'll be honest, I had an absolute blast writing the scene on the way to the paddock between those 3. It cracked me up writing it, which might be weird, but I struggle to fill the days sometimes :) I hope you like this one even though it's heavy. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 **angelicedg: I know, the dirty mind thing just seeps in b/c that's how I am...LOL! I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's a doozy! Thanks for reading and reviewing every time...I love it! Keeps me going.**

 **Momochan77: I really loved the beginning of the chapter too. It was so fun to write I almost just wanted to keep going and going. It's nice to add some lightness in a world where so much is life and death. Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope you like this chapter :)**

 **Gryffindor Rat: That reaction is awesome! I'm so glad you laughed, and hard enough to cry, makes me smile! I agree picking the POV is crucial, and I'm glad you like the way it's gone so far. So, what did you think about her admission? It wasn't just "we almost died", but there was some of that in there. I think of everyone on the island Jo doesn't see this ending well for her, and she wants to make sure she "makes amends" before the end. I hope you liked this chapter, and thanks for reading and reviewing.**

 **MidnightPenguin: Right! I know :) I hope you liked this one and it was long enough for you. I wanted to be in depth enough to convey the point, but no drag it on forever, you know? Thanks so much for sticking with me and reading...it means a lot!**

 **JessieBWriting: I know, it was terrible...poor Nick! Poor everyone in this chapter. Things only get harder from here on out. What did you think? Thanks for reading and reviewing, it keeps me going :)**


End file.
